Emissions

Fruit orchard and parrot at Callide Power Station

Environment

Greenhouse emissions

CS Energy has reduced its emissions intensity by 14 per cent since 1997 through a strategy of building state-of-the-art power stations and closing older, less-efficient plants.

We’re working to continually reduce our greenhouse emissions intensity through an extensive research and development program, which includes a $200 million carbon capture and storage project and the integration of renewable energy technologies into our electricity generation process.

CS Energy reports its greenhouse emissions, energy consumption and energy production to the Australian Government under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 1997. This data is available from the Department of Climate Change. 

Other air emissions

CS Energy’s power stations also emit oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and sulphur (SOx) as a by-product of combusting fossil fuels. Australian black coal has a relatively low sulphur content and modern power stations have technologies in place to reduce NOx emissions. For example, our Callide C and Kogan Creek power stations are fitted with low-NOx burner technology.  Data on these emissions is available from the National Pollutant Inventory. 

 

Fly ash management

Ash is a by-product of the combustion of coal at CS Energy's Callide and Kogan Creek power stations. These stations produce ash in two forms, fly ash, which has the consistency of talcum powder, and furnace ash, which is like coarse sand.

CS Energy is a member of the Ash Development Association of Australia, which promotes the beneficial reuse of power station ash and provides advice to the Queensland and NSW government environmental agencies.
 
Some 99.9 per cent of the ash created at our power stations is collected in a manner that allows it to be recycled in accordance with a beneficial reuse process established by the Department of Environment and Resource Management.
 
The ash is able to be used as a cement replacement in concrete, a soil improver, an adsorbent for oil waste, and as flowable fill in large civil engineering projects such as highway embankments and mine site rehabilitation.
 
CS Energy recycles over 100,000 tonnes of ash each year from its coal fired stations and is working with a number of potential users with the intention of substantially increasing the reuse of ash in existing and new ways.