Queensland’s Callide Power Station Resumes Operations After Recent Explosion

One of Queensland’s largest power generators has resumed operations after being forced offline in April due to a significant explosion. The government-owned Callide Power Station, located near Biloela in central Queensland, came back online over the weekend, marking a crucial step in restoring power supply stability.

The C3 coal-fired generator was severely affected by a “pressure spike” inside its boiler on April 4, which caused considerable structural damage. Despite the incident, there were no power outages at the time, as CS Energy, the plant’s operator, stated it had sufficient forecasted generation to meet demand. On Monday, a CS Energy spokesperson confirmed that the Callide C3 unit “returned to service Sunday, June 1, shortly before 3 am.”

This timeline was slightly delayed from the Queensland government’s initial deadline of May 30. CS Energy had informed the market on May 19 of a revised return-to-service date of June 2. Currently, around 100 workers are involved in rotating shifts, focusing on repairing the damaged areas of the C3 unit caused by the safety incident.

The Callide plant has experienced previous explosions. Notably, in May 2021, an explosion in the C4 unit caused multiple generators and high-voltage transmission lines to trip, resulting in nearly 500,000 Queensland customers losing power from the NSW border to north of Cairns.

Premier David Crisafulli welcomed the plant’s return to service, emphasizing that while the news is positive, long-term maintenance remains crucial. “That’s good news, but it doesn’t change my focus that unless we invest in long-term maintenance, these assets won’t be as reliable as they should be,” he said. “We are still sometimes away from the investment return on these plants providing the reliability they deserve.”

The plant’s restart underscores ongoing efforts to ensure energy security but also highlights the importance of sustained investment in infrastructure to prevent future incidents and maintain dependable power supplies for Queenslanders.