Power Stations

Queensland's electricity generation is provided by power stations owned by Government Owned Corporations (GOCs) and a number of private companies. 

Listed below are the main power stations in Queensland. The megawatt (MW) value for each power station indicates generating capacity.

Government owned

Stanwell Corporation

• Stanwell 1,440 MW (4 X 360 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle
• Kareeya - 84 MW (3 X 18 MW, 1 X 22 MW) - hydro
• Barron Gorge - 60 MW (2 X 30 MW) - hydro
• Koombooloomba - 7 MW (1 unit) - hydro
• Mackay - 34MW (1 unit) - gas turbine

Tarong Energy

• Tarong 1,400 MW (4 x 350 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle
• Wivenhoe - 500 MW (2 X 250 MW) - hydro, pumped storage

CS Energy

• Callide A 120 MW (4 X 30 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle (in storage)
• Callide B 720 MW (2 x 360 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle
• Swanbank B 480 MW (4 x 120 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle
• Swanbank E - 385 MW (1 unit) - gas-fired, combined cycle gas turbine
• Mica Creek - 325MW - CCGT, gas turbine, steam
• Kogan Creek - 750MW - coal-fired, supercritical, steam cycle

Ergon Energy

• Barcaldine 53MW (1 unit) - gas fired CCGT

Privately owned

Comalco/NRG

• Gladstone  - 1680 MW (6 x 280 MW) - coal-fired, steam cycle

InterGen

• Millmerran - 860 MW (2 x 430 MW) - coal-fired, supercritical steam cycle

ERM

• Braemar 450 MW (3 x 150MW) - gas fuel, open cycle gas turbine (OCGT)

Transfield

• Collinsville  - 188 MW (2 x 30 MW,   2 X 31 MW, 1 x 66 MW) - coal-fired , steam cycle
• Yabulu - 220 MW (1 unit) - gas-fired CCGT
• Windy Hill - 12MW (20 x 0.6 MW) - wind

Origin Energy

• Mount Stuart  - 288 MW (2 x 144 MW) - liquid fuel, open cycle gas turbine (OCGT)
• Roma (Origin Energy) - 70 MW (2 x 35 MW) - gas-fired, OCGT

Oakey Power Holdings 

• Oakey  - 320 MW (2 x 160 MW) - liquid/gas fuel, OCGT

Government Joint Ventures

• Callide C (CS Energy/InterGen) - 914 MW (2 x 457 MW) - coal-fired, super critical steam cycle
• Tarong North (Tarong Energy/Mitsui/Tokyo Electric) - 443 MW (1 unit) - coal-fired, supercritical steam cycle

There are also a  number of smaller private power renewable energy stations located throughout the State with the more significant being in the sugar milling and mining industries.

The dominance of coal-fired power stations connected to the eastern grid is due to the abundant supplies of low cost coal in the coastal hinterland from south to north Queensland. Many of the power stations, for example Callide A, B and C, Collinsville, Tarong, Tarong North and Millmerran are located adjacent to their coal suppliers.

Gas is being increasingly used to generate electricity. The Swanbank E and Yabulu power stations use coal seam methane. The Queensland Government is implementing a range of measures to increase the proportion of electricity generated from gas, including the Queensland Gas Scheme (previously the 13% Gas Scheme).

Bagasse (the fibre residue from crushed sugar cane) is used as a fuel in the generation of electricity at many of the sugar mills in northern Queensland, and in a smaller number of mills in south east Queensland. The sugar mills use most of this electricity in the production of sugar, but an increasing proportion of surplus power is sold to the network.

A  'wind farm', utilising wind generators to produce electricity, is located at Windy Hill in far north Queensland. Additional sites in Queensland are being investigated for suitability as to their future use for wind farm electricity production.

Photovoltaic cells are increasingly being used in remote area power supplies.

More than 33 small power stations also provide electricity to remote communities. These are not connected to the east coast or the Mt Isa networks. Diesel engines are predominantly used in these power stations.

Diesel engine powered generators are also used to increase the reliability of supply to rural communities which are connected to the east coast grid by power lines which are prone to damage, particularly during cyclones.