Pelican Point gas plant an efficient backup able to produce 25% of state's energy needs

Gas-fired Pelican Point is one of Australia’s most advanced, efficient and environmentally friendly power stations.

Built in 1999, Pelican Point power station, on LeFevre Peninsula next to the Port River, began generating electricity in 2000, using a combined-cycle gas turbine to produce 479 MW of electricity – capable of catering for about 25% of South Australia’s needs.

It also sources gas from Moomba and the Victorian SEAGas pipeline.

Pelican Point has an energy efficiency of more than 50%, compared with older power stations at less than 35%. The combined-cycle system also greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Pelican Point majority joint owner, French company ENGIE (72%), with Japan’s Mitsui & Co Ltd (28%), is also owner of the soon-to-close brown-coal Hazelwood (Australia’s dirtiest) and Loy Yang B power stations in Victoria.

In 2015, more than half of Pelican Point’s generation was mothballed, with the 479MW power station offering only 230MW to the national power market. The reason was the increase in wind and solar power plus the gas price.

Generation at Pelican Point increased to full capacity at the request of the South Australian government for at least a week in July 2016, due to much of the state’s wind generation being offline due to damaging high winds, and the Heywood interconnector to the national grid being unavailable due to works associated with a planned increase in its capacity. ENGIE agreed to provide 239MW of extra supply to help system security and calm the market.