Millmerran Power Station

{{Short description|Coal-fired power station in Australia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}

{{Infobox power station

| name = Millmerran Power Station

| image = Millmerran Power Station - February 2022.jpg

| image_caption = Millmerran Power Station in February 2022

| country = Australia

| location =

| coordinates = {{coord|27|57|42|S|151|16|45|E|type:landmark_region:AU|display=inline,title}}

| owner = InterGen

| status =

| th_fuel_primary = Coal (Open-cut mine)

| th_combined_cycle =

| ps_electrical_capacity = 850 MW

| commissioned = 2002

| decommissioned =

| cost = $1.5 Billion

}}

The Millmerran Power Station is a coal-fired power station in Domville, south of Millmerran in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The power station was commissioned in 2002 and cost $1.5 billion to build. The power station is owned and operated by InterGen, a multinational company owned by Sev.en Energy, a Czech industrial group{{Cite web|title=Sev.en Energy completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in Intergen from Ontario Teachers Pension Fund|url=https://app.mergerlinks.com/transactions/2019-02-01-intergen|access-date=2021-07-16|website=MergerLinks|language=en}} and AIG Highstar Capital II, a private equity fund sponsored by a subsidiary of American International Group, Inc.[http://www.intergen.com/news/releases.php?shownews=true&id=85 InterGen press release, 25 April 2005. Shell and Bechtel Announce Sale of InterGen] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329151305/http://www.intergen.com/news/releases.php?shownews=true&id=85 |date=29 March 2008 }} Retrieved 2008-05-18[http://www.intergen.com/news/releases.php?shownews=true&id=90 InterGen press release. 5 August 2005. Ontario Teachers’ and AIG Highstar Capital II buy InterGen for C$2.1 billion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329151527/http://www.intergen.com/news/releases.php?shownews=true&id=90 |date=29 March 2008 }} Retrieved 2008-05-18

The plant takes advantage of the abundant deposits of bituminous coal from the Surat Basin. Fuel is transported via conveyor belt from the open-cut Commodore Mine.{{cite web |url=http://www.intergen.com/global/millmerran.php |title=Millmerran page at InterGen |accessdate=2008-05-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504011904/http://www.intergen.com/global/millmerran.php |archivedate=4 May 2008}}

Water is supplied via pipeline from the Wetalla sewage treatment plant in Toowoomba.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200204/s543324.htm |title=Power station moves closer to reality |accessdate=2009-07-17 |date=30 April 2002 |work=ABC News online |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation }} The 850 MW plant uses air cooling technology to reduce water consumption. In 2002, when the plant became operational, wholesale prices for electricity fell by about one third to $20/MWh.{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Robins |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/06/1057430077705.html |title=Plant a drain on power players |date=7 July 2003 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2008-05-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822183601/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/06/1057430077705.html |archive-date=22 August 2008 |url-status=live}} This was due to the market strategy to bid at short run marginal cost - so with high efficiency plant and cheap coal, this had a significant impact on the market.

Millmerran Power Station which won the Banksia Environmental Award 2006 in the water category, supplies enough electricity to power approximately 1.1 million homes by selling all its electricity into the National Electricity Market (NEM).{{cite web |url=http://www.power-technology.com/projects/millmerran_coal/ |title=Millmerran Coal, Australia page at power-technology.com |accessdate=2008-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113125319/http://www.power-technology.com/projects/millmerran_coal/ |archive-date=13 November 2008 |url-status=live}}{{Unreliable source?|reason=domain on WP:BLACKLIST|date=June 2016}}

Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 5.75 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal.[http://carma.org/plant/detail/28503 Millmerran] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726112250/http://carma.org/plant/detail/28503 |date=26 July 2011 }}. Carbon Monitoring for Action. Retrieved on 23 November 2008 The Australian Government has announced the introduction of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme commencing in 2010 to help combat climate change. It is expected to impact on emissions from power stations. The [http://www.npi.gov.au/index.html National Pollutant Inventory] provides details of other pollutant emissions, but, as at 23 November 2008, not CO₂.