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40-466: The Loy Yang Power Station is a brown coal - fired thermal power station located on the outskirts of the city of Traralgon , in south-eastern Victoria, Australia . It consists of two sections, known as Loy Yang A (4 units) and Loy Yang B (2 units). Both Loy Yang A and B are supplied by the Loy Yang brown coal mine. The Loy Yang power stations are located in the brown coal rich Latrobe Valley , along with

80-485: A carbon content of 60–70 percent on a dry ash-free basis. However, its inherent moisture content is sometimes as high as 75 percent and its ash content ranges from 6–19 percent, compared with 6–12 percent for bituminous coal . As a result, its carbon content on the as-received basis (i.e., containing both inherent moisture and mineral matter) is typically just 25-35 percent. The energy content of lignite ranges from 10 to 20 MJ/kg (9–17 million BTU per short ton ) on

120-458: A case that was the first to test the Victorian government’s climate change laws. The power station received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program . In September 2022, AGL announced that Loy Yang A would close in 2035. Alinta Energy, the owner of Loy Yang B, has announced an intention to operate it until 2047. However,

160-560: A fuel for poor people compared to higher value hard coals. In Germany, briquettes are still readily available to end consumers in home improvement stores and supermarkets. An environmentally beneficial use of lignite is in agriculture. Lignite may have value as an environmentally benign soil amendment , improving cation exchange and phosphorus availability in soils while reducing availability of heavy metals, and may be superior to commercial K humates. Lignite fly ash produced by combustion of lignite in power plants may also be valuable as

200-720: A moist, mineral-matter-free basis. The energy content of lignite consumed in the United States averages 15 MJ/kg (13 million BTU/ton), on the as-received basis. The energy content of lignite consumed in Victoria, Australia, averages 8.6 MJ/kg (8.2 million BTU/ton) on a net wet basis. Lignite has a high content of volatile matter which makes it easier to convert into gas and liquid petroleum products than higher-ranking coals. Its high moisture content and susceptibility to spontaneous combustion can cause problems in transportation and storage. Processes which remove water from brown coal reduce

240-495: A reported AU$ 1.2 billion, despite some reported that it was acquired by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises' subsidiary Alinta Energy instead. In February 2024 all four units at Loy Yang A shut down after two transmission lines collapsed, while Loy Yang B continued operation. Wholesale power prices soared to the market cap at $ 16.6/kWh. Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 14.4 million tonnes (14.2 × 10 ^ long tons) of greenhouse gases each year as

280-497: A result of burning coal . On 3 September 2007 the Loy Yang complex was the target of climate change activists. The activists locked themselves to conveyor belts and reduced power production for several hours before being cut free. Four people were arrested. On 23 September 2021 Environment Victoria took legal action against AGL Energy, which owns Loy Yang A (and also EnergyAustralia, owner of Yallourn power station, and Alinta at Loy Yang B) for failure to manage climate pollution, in

320-430: A result of increased temperatures and pressures underground. Lignite forms from peat that has not been subjected to deep burial and heating. It forms at temperatures below 100 °C (212 °F), primarily by biochemical degradation. This includes the process of humification, in which microorganisms extract hydrocarbons from peat and form humic acids, which decrease the rate of bacterial decay. In lignite, humification

360-413: A soil amendment and fertilizer. However, rigorous studies of the long-term benefits of lignite products in agriculture are lacking. Lignite may also be used for the cultivation and distribution of biological control microbes that suppress plant pests. The carbon increases the organic matter in the soil while the biological control microbes provide an alternative to chemical pesticides. Leonardite

400-509: A year, and is Victoria's largest single exporter. The Point Henry smelter commenced full production on April 4, 1963. It has a production capacity of 185,000 tonnes of aluminium a year. March 20, 1969, saw Alcoa's own brown coal -fired Anglesea Power Station brought on line at augment the electricity supply from the Victorian grid. The Point Henry smelter closed in 2014. AWAC has other operations in Brazil, Guinea, Jamaica, Suriname, Spain, and

440-495: Is Victoria's newest and most efficient brown coal-fired power station and can generate approximately 17% of Victoria's power needs. Four giant bucket-wheel excavators , called dredgers, operate 24 hours a day in the Loy Yang open cut mine , mostly feeding coal directly to the boilers via conveyor belt, 18 hours of reserve supply is held in a 70,000 tonnes (69,000 long tons) coal bunker. Each year approximately 30 million tonnes (30 × 10 ^ long tons) of coal are extracted from

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480-431: Is a hardened, gem-like form of lignite used in various types of jewelry. Germany is the largest producer of lignite, followed by China , Russia , and United States . Lignite accounted for 8% of all U.S. coal production in 2019. – no data available Alcoa World Alumina %26 Chemicals Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals is a joint venture between Alumina Limited (40% share) and Alcoa (60% share) and

520-563: Is a soil conditioner rich in humic acids that is formed by natural oxidation when lignite comes in contact with air. The process can be replicated artificially on a large scale. The less matured xyloid (wood-shaped) lignite also contains high amounts of humic acid. Reaction with quaternary amine forms a product called amine-treated lignite (ATL), which is used in drilling mud to reduce fluid loss during drilling. Lignite may have potential uses as an industrial adsorbent . Experiments show that its adsorption of methylene blue falls within

560-750: Is abbreviated to AWAC. AWAC's business is the mining of bauxite , the extraction of alumina ( aluminium oxide ) and the smelting of aluminium. It has about 25% of the global alumina market. Alcoa acts as the day-to-day manager. Alcoa has two smelters in Victoria, located at Portland and Point Henry in Victoria . It has three alumina refineries in Western Australia , located at Kwinana Beach , Pinjarra and Wagerup , and two bauxite mines at Huntly and Willowdale, also in Western Australia. The Portland smelter produces about 360,000 tonnes of aluminium

600-536: Is called slacking or slackening . Most lignite is used to generate electricity. However, small amounts are used in agriculture , in industry , and even, as jet , in jewelry . Its historical use as fuel for home heating has continuously declined and is now of lower importance than its use to generate electricity. Lignite is often found in thick beds located near the surface, making it inexpensive to mine. However, because of its low energy density , tendency to crumble, and typically high moisture content, brown coal

640-722: Is inefficient to transport and is not traded extensively on the world market compared with higher coal grades. It is often burned in power stations near the mines, such as in Poland's Bełchatów plant and Turów plant , Australia's Latrobe Valley and Luminant 's Monticello plant and Martin Lake plant in Texas. Primarily because of latent high moisture content and low energy density of brown coal, carbon dioxide emissions from traditional brown-coal-fired plants are generally much higher per megawatt-hour generated than for comparable black-coal plants, with

680-451: Is now closed. In June 2012 AGL Energy acquired Loy Yang A and the Loy Yang coal mine. In 2020, AGL announced plans to build a 200 MW / 800 MWh (4 hours) battery storage power station at Loy Yang A to increase flexibility. Until November 2017, Loy Yang B was jointly owned by Engie (formerly GDF Suez Australia), which held a 70% stake, and Mitsui & Co with 30%. In November 2017, Engie sold Loy Yang B to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises for

720-487: Is partial, coming to completion only when the coal reaches sub-bituminous rank. The most characteristic chemical change in the organic material during formation of lignite is the sharp reduction in the number of C=O and C-O-R functional groups. Lignite deposits are typically younger than higher-ranked coals, with the majority of them having formed during the Tertiary period. Lignite is often found in thick beds located near

760-743: The Basslink electricity interconnector cable which runs under Bass Strait , connecting it to the George Town sub-station in northern Tasmania . All six Loy Yang boilers are of the forced circulation tower type and are made by International Combustion Australia. Steam is supplied at a pressure of 16 MPa and a temperature of 540 °C. Loy Yang A has four generating units with a combined capacity of 2,210 MW (2,960,000 hp), which have been completed between 1984 and 1988. Loy Yang A consists of three units with Kraftwerk Union alternators (units 1, 3 and 4) and one unit by Brown Boveri & Cie (unit 2) that

800-535: The Yallourn Power Station . If Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B are counted together they are the largest power station in Australia, generating 3280 MW of power (however, if counted separately, the 2,880 MW Eraring Power Station is the largest). Loy Yang A & B are base load power stations , and together produce 50% of Victoria's electricity requirements. Loy Yang also serves as the mainland connection point for

840-592: The railway network was dependent on lignite either through steam trains or electrified lines mostly fed with lignite derived power. As per the table below, East Germany was the largest producer of lignite for much of its existence as an independent state. In 2014, about 12 percent of Germany's energy and, specifically, 27 percent of Germany's electricity came from lignite power plants, while in 2014 in Greece , lignite provided about 50 percent of its power needs. Germany has announced plans to phase out lignite by 2038 at

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880-519: The SECV resulted in only six generating units being completed, four in Loy Yang A and two in Loy Yang B. The chimneys were constructed by Thiess Contractors . In 1992, the Labor government sold a 51% stake of Loy Yang B to Mission Energy. Later Edison Mission bought the complete plant, and later again sold it to the joint venture International Power Mitsui. The Loy Yang complex was privatised in 1995, as were most of

920-419: The amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur released than other ranks of coal. As a result, lignite is the most harmful coal to human health. Depending on the source, various toxic heavy metals , including naturally occurring radioactive materials , may be present in lignite and left over in the coal fly ash produced from its combustion, further increasing health risks. Lignite is brownish-black in color and has

960-420: The area remains saturated with water, which covers dead vegetation and protects it from atmospheric oxygen. Otherwise, peat swamps are found in a variety of climates and geographical settings. Anaerobic bacteria may contribute to the degradation of peat, but this process takes a long time, particularly in acidic water. Burial by other sediments further slows biological degradation, and subsequent transformations are

1000-532: The assets of the SECV. In 1995, Loy Yang B was the world's first coal-fired power station to gain quality accreditation to ISO 9001 and the first Australian power station to gain environmental accreditation to ISO 14001. In March 2010 it was announced that the operators of Loy Yang A (Loy Yang Power) signed a contract with Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals Australia for the supply of electricity to power aluminium smelters at Portland and Point Henry until 2036. The Point Henry Smelter ceased operation in 2014 and

1040-906: The governments of Japan and Australia has begun extracting hydrogen from brown coal. The liquefied hydrogen will be shipped via the transporter Suiso Frontier to Japan. The largest lignite deposits in North America are the Gulf Coast lignites and the Fort Union lignite field. The Gulf Coast lignites are located in a band running from Texas to Alabama roughly parallel to the Gulf Coast. The Fort Union lignite field stretches from North Dakota to Saskatchewan . Both are important commercial sources of lignite. Lignite can be separated into two types: xyloid lignite or fossil wood , and compact lignite or perfect lignite. Although xyloid lignite may sometimes have

1080-813: The land has been restored to full productivity. A bond (not necessary in this form) for mine reclamation is required in the US by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 . The Latrobe Valley in Victoria , Australia , contains estimated reserves of some 65 billion tonnes of brown coal. The deposit is equivalent to 25 percent of known world reserves. The coal seams are up to 98 m (322 ft) thick, with multiple coal seams often giving virtually continuous brown coal thickness of up to 230 m (755 ft). Seams are covered by very little overburden (10 to 20 m (33 to 66 ft)). A partnership led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and backed by

1120-466: The latest. Greece has confirmed that the last coal plant will be shut in 2025 after receiving pressure from the European Union and plans to heavily invest in renewable energy . Lignite was and is used as a replacement for or in combination with firewood for home heating. It is usually pressed into briquettes for that use. Due to the smell it gives off when burned, lignite was often seen as

1160-407: The lignite is removed, restoration involves grading the mine spoil to as close an approximation as practical of the original ground surface (Approximate Original Contour or AOC). Subsoil and topsoil are restored and the land reseeded with various grasses. In North Dakota , a performance bond is held against the mining company for at least ten years after the end of mining operations to guarantee that

1200-585: The open pit. The open cut coal mine pit is about 200 metres (660 ft) deep, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide at its widest. The current mining licence has been extended by the Victorian Government up to the year 2065. The squatter James Rintoul established a stock run in the 1840s at the place where Sheepwash Creek meets the Latrobe River, which he called "Loy Yang", an Aboriginal name meaning "Big Eel". Loy Yang facility

1240-728: The range of activated carbons currently used by industry. Jet is a form of lignite that has been used as a gemstone. The earliest jet artifacts date to 10,000 BCE and jet was used extensively in necklaces and other ornamentation in Britain from the Neolithic until the end of Roman Britain . Jet experienced a brief revival in Victorian Britain . Lignite begins as partially decayed plant material, or peat. Peat tends to accumulate in areas with high moisture, slow land subsidence , and no disturbance by rivers or oceans – under these conditions,

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1280-414: The risk of spontaneous combustion to the same level as black coal, increase the calorific value of brown coal to a black coal equivalent fuel, and significantly reduce the emissions profile of 'densified' brown coal to a level similar to or better than most black coals. However, removing the moisture increases the cost of the final lignite fuel. Lignite rapidly degrades when exposed to air. This process

1320-424: The state government has announced a target that 95% of Victoria's electricity will be generated by renewable energy by 2035. It would be impossible to meet this target if Loy Yang B continued to operate in its present form. The Ex-Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews , has stated that it is unlikely to operate to the previously announced closure date. Brown coal Lignite combustion produces less heat for

1360-422: The subsurface beds. Topsoil and subsoil must be properly removed and either used to reclaim previously mined-out areas or stored for future reclamation. Excavator and truck overburden removal prepares the area for dragline overburden removal to expose the lignite beds. These are broken up using specially equipped tractors ( coal ripping ) and then loaded into bottom dump trucks using front loaders . Once

1400-409: The surface. These are inexpensive to extract using various forms of surface mining , though this can result in serious environmental damage. Regulations in the United States and other countries require that land that is surface mined must be restored to its original productivity once mining is complete. Strip mining of lignite in the United States begins with drilling to establish the extent of

1440-401: The tenacity and the appearance of ordinary wood, it can be seen that the combustible woody tissue has experienced a great modification. It is reducible to a fine powder by trituration , and if submitted to the action of a weak solution of potash , it yields a considerable quantity of humic acid . Leonardite is an oxidized form of lignite, which also contains high levels of humic acid. Jet

1480-497: The world's highest-emitting plant being Australia's Hazelwood Power Station until its closure in March 2017. The operation of traditional brown-coal plants, particularly in combination with strip mining , is politically contentious due to environmental concerns. The German Democratic Republic relied extensively on lignite to become energy self-sufficient , and eventually obtained 70% of its energy requirements from lignite. Lignite

1520-490: Was also an important chemical industry feedstock via Bergius process or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in lieu of petroleum, which had to be imported for hard currency following a change in policy by the Soviet Union in the 1970s, which had previously delivered petroleum at below market rates. East German scientists even converted lignite into coke suitable for metallurgical uses ( high temperature lignite coke ) and much of

1560-433: Was originally constructed through the 1980s by International Combustion Australia, who was contracted by the government-owned State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV). It consists of two separate units, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B. Constructed in stages, it was originally planned that the Loy Yang complex would consist of eight generating units, of 525 megawatts (704,000 hp) each upon completion. The privatization of

1600-651: Was supposed to be the second unit at the gas-fired Newport Power Station . Later during the 2000s the turbine/generator couplings were upgraded on the 3 Kraftwerk Union units to allow an increase in MCR to 560 MW. Loy Yang A is the mainland connection point for the Basslink electricity interconnector cable. Loy Yang B has two units with a capacity of 1,070 MW (1,430,000 hp) which entered service in 1993 and 1996. The two units have Hitachi turbo generators. Loy Yang B employs up to 152 full-time staff and another 40 contractors. It

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