Torrens Island Power Station
Torrens Island Power Station is a gas-fired power station, located 18 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD on Torrens Island, South Australia.
Construction of Torrens Island Power Station began in 1963 following the passing of a government act vesting the land and authorising construction. ‘A’ Station, which consists of four generating units, became operational in 1967, while construction on ‘B’ Station, which also consists of four generating units, was completed in 1976.
The power station employs about 140 people, supplemented by a contractor workforce.
AGL began progressively closing Torrens Island ‘A’ Station in September 2020, with two units closing at that time. The third unit closed in September 2021, and the final unit closed in September 2022.
In November 2022 AGL announced it will close the Torrens Island ‘B’ Power Station on 30 June 2026, following the mothballing of one of its four units, unit B1, in 2021.
This decision followed careful modelling of current and predicted future market conditions and extensive consultation with stakeholders, including the South Australian Government.
AGL is working with its people, in conjunction with unions and government, to help transition and further develop the skills and capabilities required for new and existing energy industries as Australia’s energy system transitions to a low-carbon future.
Continued operations
Over the past four years, AGL has invested $475 million in major energy projects on Torrens Island, including the 210 MW Barker Inlet Power Station, which is located alongside ‘B’ Station and opened in 2019, and the 250 MW Torrens Island battery, which is expected to be operational by mid-2023 – providing crucial firming capability and system security to the grid. AGL has also recently announced a feasibility study into the development of a green hydrogen facility at Torrens Island, as well as an ARENA-backed study to investigate the viability of using a thermal battery charged from the grid to power a repurposed ‘B’ Station steam turbine at Torrens.
Torrens Island will continue to play a crucial role in AGL’s current energy requirements and future generation plans as the site is transformed into an integrated low-carbon industrial Energy Hub, with the potential to drive new investment, create new job opportunities and expand into new markets including hydrogen and green energy.
A Station decommissioning
AGL closed the last of four Torrens Island ‘A’ Station units on 30 September 2022, after over 55 years of proud service. Over this period A Station supplied approximately 200 million MWh of energy to the South Australian market.
The decommissioning process has begun with ‘make safe’ work to prepare the station for progressive demolition. This will take about 9 months and involve the removal of all liquids, gases and electrical hazards from the plant.
Planning for the next stages of decommissioning, including hazardous materials (asbestos) removal and eventual demolition, has commenced with the assistance of an experienced local demolition contractor.
