CS Energy pens supply agreement for ‘hydrogen ready’ power plant

CS Energy has signed an agreement with United States-headquartered GE Vernova for the supply of key equipment for Queensland’s first “hydrogen-ready” gas peaking power plant which will initially be capable of operating on 35% renewable hydrogen.

November 13, 2023 David Carroll

An artist's impression of the Brigalow Peaking Power Plant.

Image: CS Energy

Queensland government-owned utility CS Energy has formalised an agreement with GE Vernova, an offshoot of multinational General Electric, to supply hydrogen-ready peaking generation units for the 400 MW Brigalow Peaking Power Plant being developed in Queensland’s Western Downs region.

The Brigalow Peaking Power Plant, among the projects being built as part of the Kogan Creek Clean Energy Hub being developed near Chinchilla, will use a mix of green hydrogen and fossil gas to power a turbine for peaking power applications.

CS Energy Chief Executive Officer Darren Busine said the power plant will initially be capable of operating on 35% renewable hydrogen but a pathway will be put in place for the plant’s transition to 100% hydrogen.

Busine said the Brigalow plant will have fast-start capability and operate in high demand periods, providing crucial firming capacity to support the state’s renewable energy transformation.

“The open-cycle design of the Brigalow Peaking Power Plant provides the ability for multiple start/stop cycles per day and the ability to ramp up to full power output within five minutes,” he said.

“CS Energy is committed to securing a balanced mix of energy sources that can meet our customers’ decarbonisation requirements and support the delivery of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan.”

The Brigalow plant will consist of 12 aeroderivative turbines with a capacity of 33 MW per unit and is scheduled to be operational in 2026, subject to final approvals.

Renewable hydrogen will initially be sourced from the planned Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Plant, which is expected to include a 1 MW hydrogen electrolyser powered by a co-located 2 MW solar farm. The project is expected to produce approximately 75 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.

Both the peaking power plant and the renewable hydrogen demonstration project are being built adjacent to CS Energy’s existing coal-fired 750 MW Kogan Creek Power Station and will form part of an energy hub that is to also include a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system.

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