Bluewaters Power Station
{{Short description|Coal-fired power station in Western Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=December 2020}}
{{Use Australian English |date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Bluewaters Power Station
| name_official =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_caption =
| image_alt =
| location_map_size =
| location_map_caption= Location of Bluewaters Power Station in Western Australia
| coordinates = {{coord |region:AU-WA_type:landmark_dim:{{wikidata |property |qualifier |raw |P625 |P2386 |format=%q}} |display=inline,title |format=dms}}{{EditAtWikidata|pid=P625}}
| coordinates_ref =
| country = Australia
| location = Collie, Western Australia
| status = O
| construction_began = 1979
| commissioned = 2009
| decommissioned =
| owner = Sumitomo Group, Kansai Electric
| operator =
| th_fuel_primary = Bituminous coal
| th_fuel_tertiary =
| ps_units_operational= 2 x 208 MW
| ps_units_manu_model =
| th_cogeneration =
| th_combined_cycle =
| ps_electrical_capacity= 416 MW
| ps_electrical_cap_fac=
| website = {{url|http://www.bluewatersps.com.au/}}
}}
Bluewaters Power Station was the first privately owned, coal-fired power station in Western Australia. It was built by Griffin Energy in 2009 and is the newest coal-fired power station in Australia.{{cite web | url=http://www.industcards.com/st-coal-australia-wa.htm | title=Coal-Fired Plants in Western Australia | publisher=Power Plants Around the World Photo Gallery | accessdate=15 February 2014 | archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090719132425/http://www.industcards.com/st%2Dcoal%2Daustralia%2Dwa.htm | archive-date=19 July 2009 | url-status=usurped }}{{cite news |title=Bluewaters coal-fired power station written off as worthless as renewables rise |first=Daniel |last=Mercer |date=2020-12-17 |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-17/bluewaters-coal-fired-power-station-written-off-books/12990532 |access-date=2020-12-17 }} The site is {{cvt|4.5|km}} northeast of Collie.
The plant consists of two 208 megawatts units,{{clarify |date=December 2022 |reason=In 2022, the plant was reported as 440 MW.}} running on sub-bituminous coal. The boilers were constructed by IHI while the turbines and generators were supplied by Alstom. EPC contractors were Mitsui and Hitachi Plant Technologies.
Griffin Coal appointed administrators KordaMentha after financial difficulty in 2009, however the power station continued to operate{{cite web | url=http://www.kordamentha.com/our-engagements/griffin-energy-group | title=KordaMentha partners appointed Voluntary Administrators over Griffin | accessdate=15 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218045341/http://kordamentha.com/our-engagements/griffin-energy-group | archive-date=18 February 2014 | url-status=dead }}{{cite news | url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/collapse-snares-griffin-energy-20100221-onv2.html | title=Collapse snares Griffin Energy | date=22 February 2010 | agency=Sydney Morning Herald | accessdate=15 February 2014 | author=Kruger, Colin}} until its purchase by Sumitomo Group and Kansai Electric in 2013.{{cite news|url=https://japantoday.com/category/business/sumitomo-group-kansai-electric-acquire-australian-power-business|title=Sumitomo Group, Kansai Electric acquire Australian power business | date=18 February 2013 | accessdate=24 March 2022 | agency=Japan Today}} {{As of |2022}}, the power station "supplies about 15 per cent of the electricity used in" the South West Interconnected System, Western Australia's main power grid.{{cite news |title=Dev Sindhu: The mystery man at the centre of a deepening crisis threatening an Australian energy grid |first=Daniel |last=Mercer |date=2022-12-18 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-19/mystery-man-dev-sindhu-in-middle-of-australian-energy-crisis/101759114 |access-date=2022-12-18 }} In December 2022 the Government of Western Australia announced a grant to the receivers and managers of the insolvent coal mine Griffin Coal to enable it to continue supplying the power station over the Western Australian summer.{{cite news |title=McGowan government hands cash to struggling Griffin Coal amid looming summer energy crisis |first1=Kate |last1=Stephens |first2=Anthony |last2=Pancia |first3=Gian |last3=De Poloni |date=2022-12-20 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-20/griffin-coal-mcgowan-government-cash-grant-wa-energy-crisis/101795242 |access-date=2022-12-21 }}
Community consultation commenced in 2009 for a proposed expansion and the Government of Western Australia approved it in 2010. The proposal was to add two identical units and bring the capacity of the plant to 830 megawatts. In 2018 it remained on hold, with two years remaining until they are required to re-apply for approvals.{{cite news |url=https://thewest.com.au/business/finance/bluewaters-gets-five-year-extension-ng-ya-389848 |title=Bluewaters gets five-year extension |date=2015-05-06 |first=Daniel |last=Mercer |website=The West Australian |access-date=2020-12-17 }} In 2020, the owners wrote "down the value of" their asset "to zero, wiping out a $1.2 billion investment in the face of an onslaught of renewable energy."{{cite news |title=Bluewaters coal-fired power station written off as worthless as renewables rise |first=Daniel |last=Mercer |date=2020-12-17 |website=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-17/bluewaters-coal-fired-power-station-written-off-books/12990532 |access-date=2020-12-17 }}