Demands for CS Energy management to stand down, full-scale audit as staff ‘lose confidence’

Workers have lost all confidence in beleaguered state-owned company CS Energy after another series of failures at one of Queensland’s most significant power stations, the union has declared.

Callide Power Station. Photo: Steve Vit

Workers have lost all confidence in beleaguered state-owned company CS Energy after another series of failures at one of Queensland’s most significant power stations, the union has declared.

The Mining and Energy Union are now demanding senior management at CS Energy be stood down, and an independent expert – specifically forensic engineer Sean Brady – is brought in to undertake a full-scale audit of both Callide and Kogan Creek Power Stations.

It comes as the union alleged the latest incident at Callide involved three workers being injured over two days, and a small fire erupting at a malfunctioning battery charger – in events it says bear some similarity to an explosion in 2021 which cut power to 500,000 homes and businesses.

The unions claims differ markedly from the official statement of CS Energy, which late on Saturday revealed one worker had burnt their feet while working at the boiler house of Callide Unit B1 on Friday evening.

CS Energy stated it took Unit C3 offline also on July 26 after a “technical fault in one of its battery chargers”.

CS Energy CEO Darren Busine. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

According to the union one worker burnt their feet while two workers tasked with erecting scaffolding in the Unit B1 boiler were impacted when large piece of ash and coal debris known as a “clinker” fell from the boiler roof.

MEU Queensland vice president Shane Brunker said the latest incident was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.

“We are at wits end, we don’t know what else we can do with them,” he said.

“After the investigation into the C4 explosion and Brady report, these events should be foreseen and should be preventable.”

On the day C4 exploded in 2021 the unit was set to have a battery charger critical to the flow of DC power replaced. Voltage in the battery charger unexpectedly dropped partway into the process, triggering a series of events which meant the turbine couldn’t be switched off.

The turbine generator spun and amid the loss of other critical systems like lubrication oil pumps exploded.

“We are particularly concerned about the failure of the battery charger as our members have seen first-hand the potential catastrophic results,” Mr Brunker said.

“Ongoing maintenance issues have plagued Callide as well as Kogan Creek Power station, which is also owned and operated by CS Energy.”

Mr Brunker said the union wanted Dr Brady, who investigated the 2021 incident, to do a full audit of CS Energy’s operations across Callide and Kogan.

He said this was needed to restore confidence among workers.

CS Energy was approached for comment but had not responded by deadline.

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.

Originally published as Demands for CS Energy management to stand down, full-scale audit as staff ‘lose confidence’