Energetic player powering up WA

Mining Chronicle
June, 2008 Page: 97

Griffin Energy is a rising star in Western Australia, committed to achieving a secure and environmentally-efficient power supply for the state. The Perth-headquartered diversified power supplier has built its business around the use of innovative technologies to achieve a competitive, reliable and sustainable supply of energy for WA while being secure and environmentally aware.

Griffin Energy specialises in the production, generation and sale of energy. Making use of cutting-edge power generation processes, the company's projects throughout WA are delivering direct power supply solutions in the state. Griffin Energy offers a reliable, competitive and sustainable energy supply for businesses connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) which use over 50 megawatts per hour of electricity a year.

Griffin Energy's practices embody the future of energy generation technology. Besides the coal-fired Bluewaters Power Station, Griffin Energy's other significant project is the Emu Downs Wind Farm near Cervantes. Some of the company's proposed projects include the Badgingarra Wind Farm, the North Peak Power Station and, most recently, a joint venture deal with Ocean Power Technologies for the development, construction and operation of a wave power station off the coast of WA.

The proposed Badgingarra Wind Farm is adjacent to Emu Downs and marks the second renewable energy collaboration between Stanwell and Griffin Energy. This facility is expected to come on line in late 2010 and will produce up to 130MW of renewable energy a year - the equivalent of the power required for more than 80,000 homes and saving around 455,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per annum.

Badgingarra will help the Federal Government meet its renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020. North Peak Power Station The proposed North Peak Power Station will be a modern and efficient electricity generation facility geared to help meet peak demands on the Perth power grid and improve the overall efficiency of the SWIS. The power station will have two open-cycle gas turbines, capable of generating up to 330MW of electricity.

Griffin Energy has chosen open-cycle gas turbines for this project as this is a proven, modern and efficient technology that allows quick response to short-term changes in power demand, such as on the hottest and coldest days of the year. North Peak is in the early stages of planning, with the preferred location yet to be confirmed. Wave power station Last month Griffin Energy inked a joint development agreement with international expert Ocean Power Technologies to build a wave power station capable of producing 10MW but with the potential for 100MW.

It would use OPT's technology, which uses bobbing floats on buoys to generate power. To generate 10MW, enough to power 10,000 homes, 40 buoys would be placed over 10ha about 5km offshore in water 50-60m deep. The energy produced would be fed into WA's main power grid. Griffin Energy's executive general manager, Wayne Trumble, says this project is part of the company's vision of delivering a balanced energy supply to WA.

"The WA Government has already announced it intends to implement a renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2020, including powering key infrastructure such as the new Binningup desalination plant," Mr Trumble says.

"Our proposed joint-venture wave power project will put us at the forefront of a new horizon in renewable energy development and we look forward to working with government and OPT to realise our vision." Emu Downs Wind Farm Emu Downs is a wind energy generating facility with the capacity to produce 80 megawatts a year - the equivalent of that needed for 50,000 homes a year and displacing 280,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

This wind farm embodies the future of energy generation technology and is one of WA's largest green energy initiatives. Australia's fourth-largest wind farm, Emu Downs Wind Farm is a $180 million joint venture between Griffin Energy and Queensland's Stanwell Corporation. It has been in operation since late 2006, delivering clean, green energy to WA. About 200km north of Perth, the facility uses wind-powered turbine technology and optimises its coastal location.

Engineered to world-class design and incorporating local resources and equipment including blades that were a first of their kind for manufacturing in Australia, Emu Downs is providing a sustainable solution for WA's energy needs. The electricity from the wind farm is purchased by Synergy Energy and onsold to its customers, including the state's largest seawater desalination facility owned and operated by the Water Corporation. In acknowledgment of its innovation and community involvement, Emu Downs Wind Farm was a finalist in the WA Environmental Awards in
2006.