Callide Power Station hit by fresh outage, special adviser dispatched
A specialist adviser has been dispatched to the beleaguered Callide Power Station after its latest failure at the weekend.
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A specialist adviser has been dispatched to the beleaguered Callide Power Station to investigate why a major power unit was forced offline just four months after a significant rebuild.
The state government has moved to assure Queenslanders the latest incident at CS Energy’s Callide Power Station will be fully investigated, with the special adviser dispatched in a bid for increased oversight.
The findings of veteran electrical engineer Howard Morrison will be handed directly to the state government and the CS Energy board.
CS Energy late on Saturday confirmed Callide Unit C3 had been taken offline after a technical fault in one of its battery charges.
It is understood the faulty part could be replaced and the plant switched back on within weeks, though CS Energy’s efforts to get both Callide C units back online have been plagued by numerous delays and pushed deadlines.
Callide C is Queensland’s fifth largest coal-fired power station. It is run by state-owned CS Energy which owns half the station in a joint venture with IG Power.
Unit C3 came back online on April 1 this year after its cooling towers partially collapsed in October 2022.
It had been online for just four months before it was switched off again on July 26.
Unit C4, which exploded in May 2021 and cut power to 500,000 homes and businesses, is not due back online until at least the end of August after CS Energy announced the ninth delay to the unit’s reopening.
The embattled state-owned corporation confirmed an investigation was under way into how the incident happened.
“(We are) assessing time frames for any necessary repairs or replacement of equipment,” a spokeswoman said.
“The affected equipment is within its warranty period, as it was commissioned in December 2023.”
A state government spokeswoman confirmed special adviser Mr Morrison was dispatched to Callide Power Station to “assess the damaged battery charge”.
“He will report his findings directly to the CS Board and also to government. CS Energy is working closely with the battery provider to determine how the fault occurred,” she said.
“Energy grid operator Powerlink Queensland has advised there will be no impacts to supply as a result of the fault.”
Mr Morrison, along with MinterEllison partner and commercial lawyer Tom Fletcher, were recently appointed as special advisers to watch over CS Energy after investigations into the catastrophic explosion found a “broken culture” within the company.
CS Energy and Energy Minister Mick de Brenni will face the spotlight of budget estimates on Tuesday.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said he was baffled.
“We’ve reached a point where the government can’t hand on heart say that they can get Callide Power Station back to full capacity and running into the future,” he said.
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Originally published as Callide Power Station hit by fresh outage, special adviser dispatched
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