Swanbank Memories
In 1952, the Queensland electricity supply industry consumed
37 per cent of the state’s coal production. By 1961,
the amount was 54 per cent. It was estimated that within
ten years, coal consumption would double. Additionally, the
cost of transporting the increasing quantities of coal to
existing power station sites was becoming an issue.
To ensure that power supplies would be able to reach
future consumer demand, the State Government
approached the Southern Electric Authority of Queensland
(SEAQ) with a proposal
to build a new power station complex at Swanbank,
near Ipswich.
For the first time in Queensland, a large power
station complex would be situated near
coal-mines to reduce transport
costs.
The SEAQ announced the preliminary stage
of the Swanbank project in 1961,
with plans for six generators producing
a total capacity of 396 Megawatts.
The first unit was scheduled
to be in service by the
winter of 1966, with the remaining units
ready to
operate
in 1967 and 1968. The
decisions were made and progress promised to be fast. |
