MEDIA RELEASE – 22nd December 2017
AUGUSTA POWER STATIONS – PROJECT UPDATE
This year (2017) has seen a number of key milestones achieved for the Port Augusta (Northern and Playford) Power Station demolition and rehabilitation project, namely:
- The Playford Power Station is now asbestos-free, with an eighteen-month program of removal works being completed this month. Demolition of the Playford structure will commence early in 2018;
- The Northern Boilers were safely demolished in November after months of planning and stakeholder engagement. Since then demolition excavators have made significant progress in processing the felled structures;
- The second shipment of 10,000t scrap steel has been transported to Port Pirie then loaded to ship.
Works at the site will continue in the New Year with the program on track for the scheduled project completion mid-2018. Safety remains the chief priority of the project team. The next key milestone is the charge-felling of the Playford B stack (an 80m high stack – not the iconic 200m high Northern stack) scheduled for 25 January 2018.
Ash Storage Area
Rehabilitation works are continuing on the Ash Storage Area (ASA). The outer banks and roadways have now been covered with soil and will be seeded in the new year. Following a period of ash surface drying, soil fingers are now being constructed at the northern extent of the ASA. These fingers provide access and will be used for the spreading of soil using low ground-pressure dozers.
The rains of late November/early December have triggered germination of our most recent seeding. While germination remains patchy, independent experts are confident that with time a good coverage of vegetation will be achieved across the site.
Dust continues to be actively monitored both by visual observation and a series of real-time dust monitors. When conditions deteriorate (largely due to sudden and fierce changes in wind direction or severe weather is forecast), the site Trigger Action and Response Plan is initiated.
A detailed risk assessment and plan has been developed for the forthcoming holiday period in concert with the SA EPA. The site will be attended each day, with watercarts fully operational. The plan incorporates a number of proactive and reactive measures.
Media Contact: Chris Rann 0418 832 512. For queries on the decommissioning of Augusta Power Stations please use the Flinders Power information line:
- M: 0419 252 760 (leave a message with your query and contact details and your call will be returned)
- E: enquiries@flinderspower.com.au