Jabiru Hybrid Power Station
Technical Advisor and Owner’s Engineer for the Department of the Chief Minister, Northern Territory Government.
CONTEXT
Jabiru is located within the dual world heritage listed Kakadu National Park. It was established in the 1980s as a service and accommodation centre for the nearby Ranger Uranium Mine which supplied electricity to the town . This power station was scheduled to be decommissioned in 2022, requiring new generation to be established for the town. The Northern Territory Government (NTG) initiated a process to plan and deliver this with a target of 50% renewables.
Embracing complexity
Jabiru has a complex history, particularly with regards to land tenure and development, and since its founding its purpose has expanded such that it now operates as the main service centre for the West Arnhem region, as a tourist centre for Kakadu as well as a service centre for the mine.
The new Jabiru power station is an industry leading project. First generation was required within ~ 12 months of contract award due to planned closures at the Ranger Uranium Mine, whilst delivering extremely high levels of renewable energy penetration, with more than 50% of the power coming from the solar array and battery systems, and substantial periods operating with no diesel generations online.
our Delivery
Ekistica was engaged as technical advisor to the Territory Government through three contracts. The first related to the delivery of technical advisory and engineering support to help scope options and develop a preliminary design for a power system and all associated works, which included:
Estimation of the future level of electricity demand in Jabiru (post RUM closure) considering existing loads and planned new developments with a recommendation demand forecast.
Assessment of the capacity of the existing grid to determine both its capacity to meet the estimated future demand and its suitability for incorporating new sources of power supply and generation.
Comparative assessment of electricity generation options for Jabiru against a range of criteria including financial and economic, technical, deployment, and social and environmental costs, benefits and risks; and the identification of a preferred future electricity generation solution for Jabiru.
Assessment of potential power system management mechanisms to maximise both operating costs and use of non-renewable energy sources, and maximising power system reliability.
Development of an implementation pathway defined through a Project Implementation Plan for the phased deployment of the new Jabiru Power System.
Assessment of options and likely costs for the extension of the Jabiru grid to nearby outstations.
Recommendations for an appropriate regulatory regime, including operating rules and standards, for the new Jabiru Power System.
The second contract, related to the provision of technical advisory and engineering services through the procurement process for new power supply arrangements and involved the development and documentation of a procurement strategy, and its subsequent delivery.
The third contract related to the provision of technical advisory and engineering services to the NTG as owner’s engineer responsible for verifying compliance with the work specification and representing the NTG on technical matters.
The power station is now successfully powering the township of Jabiru with predominantly solar power, setting the gold-standard for optimal off-grid power stations in Australia. Jabiru Power Station was subsequently awarded Australian Solar Power Project of the Year at the 2022 Asian Power Awards.