Yallourn power station introduces daily emissions reporting

The Latrobe Valley community can now view daily updates on Yallourn power station’s environmental performance, as part of the Environment Protection Authority’s updated licence conditions.

Emissions information will be published seven days a week on the EnergyAustralia website with Yallourn’s performance against particle pollution, and levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulphur dioxide emissions listed. As well as daily reports, monthly summaries will also be posted online. And in the unlikely event of a licence breach, or a planned activity which may impact the community, it will be posted on EnergyAustralia’s Yallourn Facebook page.

EnergyAustralia’s Head of Yallourn, Julian Turecek, said he takes pride in Yallourn’s strong track record of improving environmental performance over time, supported by a highly skilled workforce and an extensive maintenance program.

“This year we’ve made significant investments to increase our continuous emissions monitoring capability to collect more data in real-time,” Mr Turecek said.

“Conducting this work and making our emissions data publicly available, we hope to provide members of the local community with greater transparency, continue to build their trust and be a good neighbour.

“Our emissions are consistently below the EPA’s required levels and it’s important to us that the Latrobe Valley community has confidence in our operations,” he said.

Mr Turecek said EnergyAustralia remains focused on running Yallourn reliably and safely as an essential part of the electricity supply system for all Victorians until its orderly retirement in mid-2028.

“Our approach is aimed at balancing care for the environment, meeting community standards, and ensuring Yallourn continues to serve its role in powering homes and businesses.

“We also have a big job ahead of us as the Latrobe Valley’s energy transition continues, with the careful retirement of Yallourn in mid-2028 and bringing online Australia’s first four-hour utility-scale battery of 350 MW capacity by 2026. We know we’re up to the task, and we’re absolutely committed to taking the local community on this journey with us,” he said.

Yallourn’s environmental performance will be updated daily at https://www.energyaustralia.com.au/yallourn-air-emissions