#Swanbank power plant to be shut down

The long-scheduled shut down of the final coal-fired Swanbank power plant is set to occur early next week, The Queensland Times reported.

Plant operators Stanwell are planning to turn off the Swanbank B power station next Tuesday.

The planned closure of Swanbank B was announced in 2010 by previous plant operators CS Energy, before it was taken over by Stanwell.

Stanwell’s gas-fired Swanbank E power station will continue to operate.

A Stanwell spokeswoman said many of the station’s employees had been previously offered voluntary redundancy packages or transferred to other company operations.

The spokeswoman said the station’s shutdown was dependant on plant performance and remained subject to change.

"As Queensland has a secure supply of generation now and well into the future, Stanwell has continued with CS Energy’s plan of closing Swanbank’s last operational coal-fired unit," she said.

"The Swanbank Power Station site still maintains an important role in Stanwell’s generation portfolio with the highly efficient 385 MW gas-fired unit expected to continue powering south-east Queensland for decades to come.

"With the advent of a carbon tax, old lower efficiency coal-fired power stations, such as Swanbank B, are unlikely to be commercially viable.

"Future power supply to meet increasing power demand will most likely come from the construction of new higher efficiency gas-fired power stations and renewable power plants.

Read the full article here.

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