Chapter 11
I The Present Energy Economy
II Australian Energy Consumption
III Research And Development
IV Coal
V Oil And Natural Gas
VI Solar Energy
VII Nuclear Energy
VIII Bagasse Firewood And Other Biomass
IX Electric Power Generation And Distribution electric Power Generation And Distribution
i Types of generating stations
ii Transmission and distribution
iii System load control
iv Australian manufacturing in the power industry
v Queensland
vi New South Wales
vii Victoria
viii Tasmania
ix South Australia
x Western Australia
xi Northern Territory
xii Australian Capital Territory
xiii The Snowy Mountains Scheme
X Manufactured Gas
XI Industrial Process Heat
Sources
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Western Australia
Although the largest State in area, Western Australia is settled mainly in its south-west corner, apart from isolated communities associated with mining ventures. The first step towards integration of power supplies was the formation of the State Electricity Commission of Western Australia (SECWA) by an Act of 1945. This body set up a transmission network from Perth to Geraldton in the north, to Koolyanobbing and Kalgoorlie in the east, and to Albany in the south. In 1975 the organisation was restyled State ENERGY Commission, to bring the natural gas reticulation under its control, the initial source being the gasfield at Dongara near Geraldton. During the next decade, the huge off-shore gas and oil development on the North West Shelf resulted in far greater gas supply being available.The principal coalfield lies in the Collie region south of Perth; the State's largest power station -Muja -is located on it, and has 1040 MW capacity. The second largest, Kwinana, south of Fremantle was originally built to take fuel oil from the adjacent oil refinery, but when the oil price rose abruptly it was decided to convert the boilers to coal firing, despite some derating, because the furnace area was insufficient. This station is now rated at 880 MW. Natural gas is now used for the No. 3 unit at Kwinana. Consideration has been given to constructing a pumped-storage station at the large Serpentine water supply reservoir about 80 kilometres south east of Perth.
More information on electricity in Western Australia is given in Chapter 6.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - State Electricity Commission of Western Australia; State Energy Commission of W.A.
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition page 834, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/811.html