Western Power and the contractor, Burns & Roe Worley, have worked together to secure the necessary approvals, which took longer than planned mainly due to delays in securing land.
Off-site detailed design work will start immediately and on-site activity is expected to begin in October or November this year. The new power station is scheduled to be operational by July next year.
Gas to the eight-megawatt power station will be transported 220 kilometres as compressed natural gas, using cylinders made from composite materials, from the new compressor station located on the Dampier to Bunbury Gas Pipeline.
The power station will be made up of seven 1MW gas-engine generators and a standby 1MW diesel-engine generator. Generating capacity is expected to increase to 11 or 12MW over the 18-year contract.
All of the engines on site will be manufactured by Caterpillar. The gas engines will run on natural gas in normal operations and on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the event that there is an interruption to the supply of natural gas. LPG will be stored on site for back-up purposes.
The site will be attended on a daily basis for routine operation and maintenance. But the power station can also be remotely inspected and operated, allowing technical experts in Perth – or even the eastern states – to monitor and control the power station and diagnose any problems with the engines.
Western Power will also spend about $1 million to install new underground cables to connect the power station to the existing electrical distribution network. Tenders for these works will soon be called, the company said.
“Installing these cables, whilst more expensive, will ensure a more reliable and robust distribution network to service Exmouth,” Western Power said.
Burns & Roe Worley is a joint venture between Worley and Burns & Roe Enterprises, specialising in project management, consulting services, procurement, design, construction, servicing, operation and maintenance of process plant and equipment.
