A 630 MW gas-fired power station near Braemar in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia, is to be developed by local utility company Origin Energy.
Once constructed by contractors GE and CH2M Hill, the station will be the biggest combined cycle power station in Australia.
The contract, worth A$780 million ($661 million), will GE supply three Frame 9E 120 MW gas turbines, four generators, one C7 270 MW steam turbine, three heat recovery steam generators, a plant distributed control system, and training. In addition, GE has signed a six-year maintenance contract.
CH2M Hill will undertake engineering and construction activities and supply of the balance of the plant, site civil work, equipment installation and erection activities in conjunction with its construction partner, Laing O’Rourke.
Construction is expected to begin in August 2007, with commissioning to occur in the fourth quarter of 2009 and ramping up to full commercial operation in the first quarter of 2010. All regulatory approvals are in place.
The gas will come from Origin’s extensive coal seam gas reserves at Spring Gully and the Walloons. The development of these fields, associated pipeline infrastructure and other project costs will be about A$500 million ($423 million).