How did the Hazelwood mine fire start?
The Hazelwood mine fire, which began when a bushfire burned into the brown coal reserve, burned for 45 days, resulting in plumes of smoke and ash over the neighbouring town of Morwell as well as other towns in the Latrobe valley, east of Melbourne.
When was the Hazelwood mine fire?
A fire burned in the Hazelwood coal mine for 45 days in February and March 2014. It was the largest and longest-burning mine fire to occur in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. This fire had significant impacts on the Latrobe Valley community.
Who wrote Hazelwood about the mine fire?
journalist Tom Doig
In 2014, the Hazelwood mine fire burned out of control for 45 days. In his book Hazelwood journalist Tom Doig reveals the story of the lead up to the disaster, the impacts on a town choking on smoke and ash, and the efforts of the community members who fought back.
How big is the Hazelwood mine?
GDF SUEZ Australian Energy Hazelwood plant comprises a 1542 MW power station and an adjacent brown coal lignite mine that covers an area of 3554 ha. Hazelwood is jointly owned by GDF SUEZ Australian Energy and Mitsui and Co Ltd.
Is there a fire in Traralgon?
There is a large building fire on Eastern Road in Traralgon East.
Where does Victoria get its power from?
At present, most electricity in Victoria is generated by brown coal fired thermal power stations in the Latrobe Valley. One of the major electricity consumers in Victoria is the Portland aluminium smelter.
Who owns Loy Yang B?
Alinta Energy’s owner, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Limited (CTFE), acquired Loy Yang B in January 2018. The 1,100-megawatt plant is Victoria’s newest and most efficient coal-fired power station, providing about 20% of the state’s energy needs.
What will happen to Hazelwood mine?
In 2014, Hazelwood employed 495 staff directly and on average 300 contractors. On 3 November 2016, Engie announced that the entire Hazelwood plant would be closed at the end of March 2017 giving five months notice of the closure. The power station closed in March 2017.
Where is coal found in Victoria?
Gippsland Basin
More than 80 per cent of our brown coal (also called lignite) is located in the Gippsland Basin, off the South-East coast of Victoria.
Who owns the electricity grid in Victoria?
Victorias 6,000 kilometre high-voltage electricity transmission system is owned and maintained by AusNet Services. However, the transmission system is subject to the operational control of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), a state-owned market and system operator.
What is the largest power station in Victoria?
AGL Loy Yang
AGL Loy Yang is Victoria’s largest power station. The power station includes four 500+ megawatt turbo generators which were brought into service between 1984 and 1988.
When did AGL buy Loy Yang?
2012
AGL Loy Yang is in the Latrobe Valley, 165 kilometres south east of Melbourne and was acquired by AGL in 2012. The power station and accompanying open cut coal mine cover about 6,000 hectares.
How long did the Hazelwood mine fire last?
The Hazelwood mine fire, which began when a bushfire burned into the brown coal reserve, burned for 45 days, resulting in plumes of smoke and ash over the neighbouring town of Morwell as well as other towns in the Latrobe valley, east of Melbourne.
How did CSIRO study Hazelwood coal mine fire?
To aid a wider research goal of investigating the health effects of the fire on Morwell residents, a group of scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have developed an atmospheric model of how the smoke coming off the Hazelwood coal mine was distributed across the nearby area while the fire burned.
Who is monitoring the Hazelwood mine fire implementation plan?
Since 1 February 2016 the progress of the Implementation Plan has been independently monitored by the Inspector-General for Emergency Management (IGEM). Between October 2014 and January 2016, monitoring was undertaken jointly by the IGEM and the former Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry Implementation Monitor.
How did the model work for the Hazelwood fire?
For the Hazelwood fire model, input data included estimates for the amount of pollutants released per kilogram of lignite burnt, which were termed emission factors, as well as the depth of the coal consumed over the fire’s duration. “The emission factors needed to be refined for the type of coal used at Hazelwood.