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Overview
When ENGIE began operations in South Australia at Pelican Point in 1999 it subsequently acquired the long-term lease of Synergen Power.
It is a peaking generator operating out of four power stations across the state.
Synergen has 10 generating units; four natural gas-fuelled turbines located at Dry Creek and Mintaro and six diesel-fuelled turbines at the Snuggery and Port Lincoln locations.
The four stations have a combined generating capacity of 396 MW of electricity which is supplied into the National Electricity Market (NEM) during periods of high demand, particularly on days of high temperatures.
Synergen also provides several other services to the NEM including System Restart Ancillary Services to AEMO, Network Support Services to ElectraNet and support for the transmission network.
Location: South Australia
Maximum Capacity: 396 MW
Commissioned: December 1999
Features
- Four power stations
- 10 generating units
- 396 MW generation capacity
- Natural gas and diesel fuelled turbines
- National Electricity Market provider
- Ancillary service provider to the AEMO
More information
How does gas-fired power work?
Gas-fired power stations burn natural gas to produce electricity.
There are two main ways they do this – open cycle and combined cycle.
Open Cycle Gas Turbine
Open-cycle production is the most common method. Natural gas is burned to create a pressurised gas, which powers a turbine that is connected to a generator. The turbine turns the magnets in the generator to create electricity.
Combined Cycle
The Combined-Cycle Gas & Steam Turbine (CCGT) plant generates energy using two different types of turbines in combination: a gas turbine and a steam turbine. In essence, it recycles its fuel to maximise its electricity output. ENGIE’s Pelican Point Power Station uses this ingenious method of electricity generation.
The hot gases generated by burning natural gas power the gas turbine. The gases are still hot enough to generate steam in a heat recovery boiler which is then used in a steam turbine. The combination of these two thermodynamic cycles increases plant efficiency to in excess of 50%, which is much higher than the 35% to 40% achieved by traditional plants.
