enGen has secured land leases for stations to be built at at Gascoyne Junction, Laverton and Menzies in Western Australia.
Construction on the three power stations, part of the Remote Towns Power Project (RTPP) commissioned by the WA Government following years of regional power supply faults, is expected to start soon. Gascoyne Junction and Menzies power stations are due for commissioning later this year, with Laverton set to be functional by February 2005.
Projects at Marble Bar and Nullagine have been hampered by delays, and are expected to come on-line late-2006. Western Power announced it would delay work at Marble Bar until electricity demand in the region passed its peak, while the utility continued searching for an appropriate site to host the Nullagine station.
Western Power said the new power stations would need to pass a seven-day operational test, followed by a 60-day trial before the existing stations in the regions were decommissioned.
Wesfarmers subsidiary enGen, formerly StateWest Power, is an independent power producer specialising in electricity supply to mining operations and regional towns.
The RTPP follows similar projects conducted in the West Kimberley and mid-west regions, as well as the towns of Esperance and Exmouth, to upgrade power supplies.
Meanwhile, Western Power has announced bids for the new Carnarvon power station have closed. An initial 17 companies expressed an interest in building, owning and operating the gas-fired plant.
US-Australian joint venture Burns and Roe Worley, ASX-listed Energy Developments, Wesfarmers subsidiary Energy Generation (enGen) and international group PearlStreet Energy (formerly Integrated Power Services) have lodged proposals that use gas from the existing Carnarvon lateral pipeline as primary fuel.
The pipeline is an offshoot from the Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline, currently transporting gas to the existing power station at Iles Road.
ERN understands one bidder also included wind energy as a supplementary power source.
Announced by the State Government in August 2004, the new gas-fired power station will replace the 35-year-old retiring facility by March 2007, with construction expected to begin in March 2006.
