IHI marks milestone in the Pilbara

Principal contractor for the South Hedland Power Station IHI Engineering Australia Pty Ltd is celebrating a major milestone as it joins TransAlta, Horizon Power and the Government of Western Australia for the official on-site opening of the power station on 27 November 2017.

IHI Engineering Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of IHI, was contracted as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the state-of-the-art 150 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant for client TransAlta Energy Australia. The opening of this newest power station marks the successful delivery by IHI of over 500 MW of power plant in total around the Pilbara, accounting for a majority of the available capacity in the network.

Satoshi Nochide, managing director IHI Engineering Australia, said the company is extremely pleased to be a part of another major power plant project successfully completed in WA. It is a key component of the Pilbara’s electricity infrastructure and will support economic development in the region for decades to come.

“This achievement is a testament to our strategy for building long-term trust and relationships with our clients through consistent performance, while achieving leading safety and quality,” said Nochide. “We are honoured that many clients such as TransAlta have awarded repeat business to IHI over several decades.”

IHI commenced the South Hedland Power Station project for TransAlta in 2014, successfully achieving commercial operation in July 2017. The plant has been generating electricity for customers since July and will supply residents and industry throughout the Pilbara as well as major resource companies in the region.

The plant incorporates three IHI LM6000PF gas turbine packages combined with a steam turbine to further increase efficiency. The plant is also dual fuel capable, allowing it to operate on either natural gas or distillate enabling reliable and low-emission supply.

“South Hedland Power Station is the first LM6000 combined cycle plant in Australia and one of the most efficient and environmentally sensitive in WA. Nationally, IHI have delivered 16 LM6000 gas turbine units, which are still in operation today. Including our boiler plants, we have contributed to major power stations in almost every state across the country — accounting for about 9000 MW in total, or 20% of the overall capacity in Australia,” said Nochide.

Some of IHI’s Australian and NZ projects over its 46-year history include power plant construction and lifecycle maintenance, bridge building, tunnelling machines, bulk material handling equipment and oil and gas equipment.