Yallourn Power Stations (first date Commissioned - second date Decommissioned):
A - 1928 - 1969
B - 1932 - 1970
C - 1954 - 1985
D - 1957 - 1986
E - 1961 - 1989
W - 1973 - 1982 then EnergyAustralia to current
Power generation at Yallourn was first proposed in 1919 when the State Government appointed a committee to investigate the use of coal from the Latrobe Valley. The plant was operated by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, and the first sod was turned at the Yallourn Power Station site in 1921. Along with the power station, the town of Yallourn was constructed nearby to house workers of the plant. Coal was moved from the open cut mine to the power station by the Yallourn 900mm railway, a narrow gauge electric railway running along temporary tracks in the mine.
Yallourn A was the first plant opened in 1928, with Yallourn B entering service on 11 April 1932. Yallourn A was demolished in 1968, and Yallourn B following in the early 1970s. Yallourn C, D and E stations were commissioned in 1954, 1957 and 1961 respectively, and provided the bulk of Victoria's power until Hazelwood Power Station became operational in the mid 1960s. Yallourn A, B, C & D were constructed as 'range'-type power stations that connected individual boilers to a common steam range before connecting to the turbine. C station had 2 turbo alternators, each 60MW. Steam was supplied by 6 pulverized coal burning water tube boilers. D station was exactly the same as C station. E station had 2 units each 100MW with hydrogen cooled generators but no stator water cooling steam from 2 PF boilers. Yallourn E was the first unitised station constructed in the complex, as each boiler was paired with its own turbine.
Yallourn E station ceased generating power in January 1989, with C, D and E plants being demolished from 1995 onwards, with the site being cleared by 1999. The narrow gauge railway in the mine was replaced by conveyor belts in 1984, and the Morwell Interconnecting Railway was replaced by road haulage in 1993.
The current Yallourn W power station was built in the 1970s at Yallourn West. In 1969 it was announced that the town of Yallourn would be demolished to enable an expansion of the coal mine, with demolition commenced in the 1970s and completed by 1982. Yallourn W power station was the first Victorian generating entity to be privatised in 1996 when it was sold to a consortium including PowerGen, Itochu, AMP, Hastings and NSW State Super. The plant is currently owned by Hong Kong-based CLP and operates under the EnergyAustralia brand.