A Sound Steel Solution for Western Australian Power Plant

Location:	Kemerton, Western Australia
Country:	Australia
Client:	David Jones Transfield Services Ph: 07 3248 8700
Engineer:	AGC
Builder:	Siemens
Products Used:	LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® LYSAGHT SPANDEK®

A leading Western Australian engineering firm has provided a reliable and acoustically efficient roofing and walling solution for the first major privately owned power station to be constructed in Western Australia.

The new A$250 million Kemerton Power Station was developed to provide additional generating capacity to meet the increasing electricity requirements of the South West region's growing population.

LYSAGHT SPANDEK® and LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® cladding in COLORBOND® Ultra steel played a key role in achieving the acoustic performance levels required for the facility.

Located180 kilometres south of Perth and 17 kilometres north east of Bunbury, the new power station is owned, operated and maintained by Transfield Services, a major provider of operations, maintenance and asset management services.

Kemerton Power Station is one of the newest additions to Transfield Services' growing presence in the power industry. Constructed by Siemens, the project began in July 2004 and the station was producing electricity by November 2005.

"Transfield Services has extensive expertise in the power industry," said Peter Watson, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Transfield Services. The successful completion of this project demonstrates Transfield Services' commitment to the people of Western Australia, where we currently employ over 1,000 staff and contractors."

The new station features state of the art design and two Siemens V94.2 Open Cycle Gas Turbines, which are capable of providing more than 260MW of power. The station takes eleven minutes to reach full capacity and is capable of running on dual fuels to ensure security of operations independent of a single fuel supply.

All roofing and wall cladding on the project was provided by Kwinana based engineering specialists, AGC. An integrated multi disciplinary engineering services provider, AGC specialises in the oil, gas and mining industries.

"Among other things, we specialise in industrial and marine insulation and have been successful in winning major national and international contracts," says Chris Fielding, General Manager of AGC. "We are also at the forefront of insulation and cladding technology.

"The Kemerton Power Station represents one of our larger roofing and walling contracts," he says. "There were highly specific requirements to be met, particularly the acoustic values required by Transfield Services to meet environmental impact and noise emission standards."

AGC installed LYSAGHT SPANDEK® in 0.8mm thick COLORBOND® Ultra steel to the exterior of the facility, to adhere to the rigorous standards required by Transfield Services.

"The unusual thickness of the material helped to achieve the acoustic levels required by the client," explains Chris. "Roxul insulation board was then installed, and an inner layer of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® in 0.48mm COLORBOND® Ultra steel was used to line the interior of the facility."

In total, 3,000 square metres of LYSAGHT SPANDEK® and 3,000 square metres of LYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® were used on the facility.

According to Chris, quality, technical support and delivery were all paramount, when it came to selecting BlueScope Lysaght as a supplier.

"Durability, ease of maintenance, strength, appearance, and delivery are all critical when it comes to our product suppliers," he says. "The quality of LYSAGHT® products is very good, communication was excellent, and delivery was on time, which was crucial on a project like this. BlueScope Lysaght also supplied technical data and readings along with the insulation to achieve the final outcome. The technical support they provided was excellent."