Fears rise as power station goes offline

Workers at Central Queensland’s Callide Power Station fear for their safety and the future operation of the power plant as three malfunctions this week have left all units out of action, the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) has reported.

MEU Queensland Vice President Shane Brunker said Callide was today in ‘black start’ mode, meaning it is completely offline.

The cooling plant collapse in the C3 unit on 31 October was followed by trips in the B1 and B2 units. The remaining C4 unit is still being repaired following an explosion last year.

“Workers have been alarmed to look up and see plumes of steam and dust; they are very concerned about what’s going on at Callide,” Brunker said.

“We are relieved no-one has been hurt during the failures and malfunctions this week, but it has been a real possibility.

“At this stage it’s not clear that CS Energy site management is able to get the power station back up and running.

“Callide Power Station is crucial for providing baseline power for Queensland. This week’s events confirm workers’ fears that investment in maintenance of the power station has been neglected in the race to shut down coal power and move to renewables.

“We need the Queensland Government to step in and ensure Callide is being responsibly managed and maintenance and repair is prioritised — not only to get the power station back up and running but to keep it operating safely in the years ahead.

“The focus should be on investing in the existing fleet and exploring opportunities to improve them rather than running them down. This should include carbon capture and storage, which has been proven in Queensland already including at Callide A,” Brunker said.

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