Energy Security

[sptrawler]

That's getting beyond things I know about but the generating plant is listed as Toshiba.

For the boilers, units 1 & 2 are JT while 3 & 4 are ICAL.

They run at different pressure too. 1 & 2 are 12,800 kPa whilst 3&4 are 16,800 kPa.

Nominal unit ratings when commissioned were 350MW each for 1 & 2 and 375MW each for 3 & 4. In practice they run to about 360 and 380 respectively depending on coal quality.

Other differences are 1 & 2 each have their own cooling tower whilst 3 & 4 share a single cooling tower.

It's a bit of a technicality to say it's one station really. I'd be a bit more accurate to say its two stations, two units each, built right next to each other and given the same name. There are two stacks, two conveyors, etc and they were built as a separate project albeit one after the other.

Noting that other plant also historically operated at Yallourn during the period 1924 - 1989. That's now closed and completely demolished to ground level.

For those unfamiliar: JT = John Thompson. ICAL = International Combustion Australia Ltd. In layman's terms they're companies that manufacture boilers.

This photo, taken from the rear, shows it pretty clearly that it's really two stations next to each other. W station is in the background with the cooling towers, boilers for 3&4 on the left and 1&2 on the right. Old E and D stations (now demolished) in foreground at bottom of photo. Date would be shortly after completion of W station construction so about 40 years ago.

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upload.wikimedia.org

Well at least the bones of the station is soind, Toshiba's are nice units, units 7 and 8 at Muja are Toshiba's and have been great units.
Most of the boilers used at Kwinana and Muja were ICAL, simple construction and easily repaired, stage A Kwinana has Riley Dodd boilers which had refactory between the tubes that made repairs a fair bit slower. Muja stage A/B had Babcock and Brown, but they were a very old design and retired off years ago.
John Turner boilers weren't used anywhere in W.A's system to my knowledge.
But as you say @Smurf1976 everything has a use by date and the Yallourn units are getting old, same as Muja 6,7 and 8.
Nothing lasts forever and more and more is being asked of them, as alternative plant is retired.