In 2023, Australia will become the first country in the world to power up one of General Electric’s (“GE”) 320MW 9F.05 dual fuel hydrogen and natural gas turbines for grid electricity.

Clough was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (“EPC”) scope for Energy Australia’s Tallawarra Stage B project in May 2021.

This project, located in Yallah, New South Wales (“NSW”), is set to be Australia’s first hydrogen and gas capable power station and Australia’s first net zero emissions hydrogen and gas capable power plant, with direct carbon emissions from the project offset over its operational life.

Tallawarra B project will provide over 300MW of dispatchable capacity for NSW when commissioned in 2024 and coincides with the retirement of the Liddell 1.6GW coal-fired power plant. The plant will be ready to start generating electricity for 150,000 homes with only 30 minutes notice and addresses the need for fast-start flexible capacity to complement renewables coming into the system.

Energy Australia, through its Tallawarra B project, is setting a new benchmark for how gas generators can reach net zero emissions as it will use green hydrogen and offset residual emissions.

The project team reached a major milestone with the arrival of the GE 320MW 9F.05 dual fuel hydrogen and natural gas turbine in Port Kembla.

The turbine is one of the project’s main mechanical equipment items and the first of three major heavy lift items to arrive in the country. Weighing in at approximately 372 tonnes with a transport envelope of 11m x 5m x 5m, the turbine was exported from Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and spent over a month at sea en route to Australia.

The turbine achieved the next stage of its journey when it was transported overland, from Port Kembla to the project site in Yallah.

This journey, by itself, was an impressive feat. Clough engaged the heavy lift transportation specialist, Lampson, to get the turbine to site safely. It was loaded onto a transport arrangement consisting of four prime movers pulling two 14-axle modular trailers with the turbine loaded on a beam-set arranged between the two trailers.

The overall length of this transport system was approximately 110m. It moved to site under Traffic for NSW and NSW Police escorts between midnight and 04:00 to minimise the impact on other traffic users.