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Delta Electricity
Company typePrivate Corporation
IndustryElectricity generation
Founded1996 (1996)
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Key people
Trevor St Baker (Director)
Brian Flannery (Director)
Greg Everett (MD)
OwnerSunset Power International
Number of employees
Decrease 280
ParentSunset Power International
Websitewww.de.com.au

Delta Electricity is an electricity generation company in Australia. The company was formed by the Government of New South Wales in 1996 as part of its reform of the electricity sector in the State, which saw the breakup of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales. Delta Electricity, which at the time owned only the Vales Point Power Station, was sold to Sunset Power International for $1 million in November 2015[1] and was valued at $730 million 2 years later.[2] It has a portfolio of generating sites mainly using thermal coal power.

Generation portfolio

Delta Electricity, as a State-owned corporation has owned and operated the following power stations to generate electricity for sale under contract. Since December 2015, Delta Electricity only operates the Vales Point Power Station.

Name Fuel Type Location Maximum capacity Commissioned Reference(s)
Broadwater Biomass 38 megawatts (51,000 hp) Sold to Cape Byron Power, November 2013[3]
Chichester Dam Hydroelectricity Conventional near Dungog 110 kilowatts (150 hp) 2001 [4]
Colongra Gas Gas turbines Colongra 667 megawatts (894,000 hp) 2009 Sold to Snowy Hydro, Jan 2015
Condong Biomass 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) Sold to Cape Byron Power, November 2013 [3]
Dungog Hydroelectricity Dungog 110 kilowatts (150 hp)
Munmorah – decommissioned Coal Steam turbines Lake Munmorah 600 megawatts (800,000 hp) 1967 / 69 Retained by NSW Government/Generator Property Management [5]
Vales Point Coal Steam turbines Mannering Park 1,320 megawatts (1,770,000 hp) 1963 / 64, 1978

History

Delta Electricity was formed by the Government of New South Wales in 1996 as part of its reform of the electricity sector in the State, which saw the breakup of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales.

Following a report by the Health Rivers Commission, in 1998 the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Craig Knowles, announced that a small hydro-electric power station would be installed in the Chichester Dam to generate electricity, reduce greenhouse emissions and allow surplus power to be sold back to the State grid.[6] The mini-power station was completed in 2001 and operated by Delta Electricity, and generates up to 110 kW (150 hp) of electricity at times of peak flow; with an average annual generation of 0.4 GWh (1.4 TJ).[4]

As the Keneally Labor government moved to privatise components of the electricity industry in New South Wales including the electricity trading rights of Delta Electricity, on 14 December 2010 four of the five directors of Delta (including the chairman) suddenly stood down in protest over the proposed sale.[7] On 28 February 2011, at the direction of the New South Wales Government,[8] the newly constituted Board of Delta entered into contracts with energy retailer, TRUenergy, for the supply of electricity under Generation Trading Agreements from the Wallerawang and Mount Piper Power Stations. A subsequent NSW Parliamentary Inquiry was held, but the directors of Delta who resigned refused to give evidence before the Inquiry unless guarantees of parliamentary privilege would be given by the Government. Keneally refused to provides guarantees and, according to the Inquiry chairman, the Government stymied the Inquiry's ability to uncover the facts as to the resignation of the directors.[9]

In May 2012, the New South Wales Parliament passed legislation to sell the State-owned generators. In July 2013, EnergyAustralia acquired from Delta Electricity Wallerawang and Mount Piper Power Stations, near Lithgow, New South Wales, for A$160 million.[10] In November 2014, EnergyAustralia announced that it would permanently close Wallerawang due to ongoing reduced energy demand, lack of access to competitively priced coal and the power station's high operating costs.[11] EnergyAustralia began the process of removing useful equipment from the station in 2015 and began demolition of the site when this process has been completed.[12][13]

In early 2015, the Colongra Power Station at Lake Munmorah was sold to Snowy Hydro. In November 2015, Delta Electricity, which at the time owned only the Vales Point Power Station, was sold to Sunset Power International for $1 million.[1] Delta Electricity was dissolved in October 2016. The NSW Government retained ownership of the decommissioned Munmorah Power Station (Generation Property Management) which is being demolished.

References

  1. ^ a b Potter, Ben (19 November 2015). "NSW government sells Vales Point power station for $1m". Australian Financial Review (Subscription Required). Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  2. ^ "How a power station sold for peanuts became a $730 million asset". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b "About Cape Byron Management". Cape Byron Power. 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Chichester Dam Mini-Hydro". Case studies: Hydro. Clean Energy Council. 2013. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Login - Delta Electricity". Generator Property Management. 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ^ Knowles, Craig (2 June 1998). "Legislative Assembly – Chichester Dam Electricity Generation". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015. Archived 22 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Salusinszky, Imre; Hepworth, Annabel (15 December 2010). "Chaos hits $5.3bn NSW power sell-off as directors on two boards quit in protest". The Australian. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  8. ^ "Annual Report 2011" (PDF). Delta Electricity. 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  9. ^ Nile, Fred (23 February 2011). The Gentrader Transactions (PDF). Legislative Council of New South Wales. pp. ix–x.
  10. ^ "EnergyAustralia acquires Mt Piper and Wallerawang power stations". EnergyAustralia. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Closure of Wallerawang power station | EnergyAustralia". EnergyAustralia. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  12. ^ "Salvage program to begin at Wallerawang power station | EnergyAustralia". EnergyAustralia. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  13. ^ ASHWORTH, LEN (8 January 2015). "Wallerawang Power Station to be demolished". Lithgow Mercury. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
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