AGL Torrens | About AGL

Torrens Island Power Station is a gas-fired power station, located 18 kilometres from the Adelaide CBD on Torrens Island, South Australia.

Construction of Torrens Island Power Station began in 1963 following the passing of a government act vesting the land and authorising construction. ‘A’ Station, which consists of four generating units, became operational in 1967, while construction on ‘B’ Station, which also consists of four generating units, was completed in 1976.

The power station employs about 140 people, supplemented by a contractor workforce.

AGL began progressively closing Torrens Island ‘A’ Station in September 2020, with two units closing at that time. The third unit closed in September 2021, and the final unit closed in September 2022.

In November 2022 AGL announced it will close the Torrens Island ‘B’ Power Station on 30 June 2026, following the mothballing of one of its four units, unit B1, in 2021.

This decision followed careful modelling of current and predicted future market conditions and extensive consultation with stakeholders, including the South Australian Government.

AGL is working with its people, in conjunction with unions and government, to help transition and further develop the skills and capabilities required for new and existing energy industries as Australia’s energy system transitions to a low-carbon future.

Continued operations

Over the past four years, AGL has invested $475 million in major energy projects on Torrens Island, including the 210 MW Barker Inlet Power Station, which is located alongside ‘B’ Station and opened in 2019, and the 250 MW Torrens Island battery, which commenced operation mid-2023 – providing crucial firming capability and system security to the grid. AGL has also recently announced a feasibility study into the development of a green hydrogen facility at Torrens Island, as well as an ARENA-backed study to investigate the viability of using a thermal battery charged from the grid to power a repurposed ‘B’ Station steam turbine at Torrens.

Torrens Island will continue to play a crucial role in AGL’s current energy requirements and future generation plans as the site is transformed into an integrated low-carbon industrial Energy Hub, with the potential to drive new investment, create new job opportunities and expand into new markets including hydrogen and green energy.

A Station decommissioning

AGL closed the last of four Torrens Island ‘A’ Station units on 30 September 2022, after over 55 years of proud service. Over this period A Station supplied approximately 200 million MWh of energy to the South Australian market.

The decommissioning process has begun with ‘make safe’ work to prepare the station for progressive demolition. This will take about 9 months and involve the removal of all liquids, gases and electrical hazards from the plant.

Planning for the next stages of decommissioning, including hazardous materials (asbestos) removal and eventual demolition, has commenced with the assistance of an experienced local demolition contractor.

September 2022 to mid 2023

Closure of final unit

Start of make safe work

Early 2023 to early 2024

Hazardous material removal

Early 2024 to late 2025

Demolition

Early 2026

Industrial Energy Hub site redevelopment

How to stay informed

AGL is committed to proactively and openly communicating with all stakeholders, including those in the local community, regarding the decommissioning and demolition, and will provide regular updates in line with key milestones throughout the process.

If you’d like to be added to AGL’s stakeholder database to receive updates about the decommissioning and demolition, or if you have any questions about the process, email torrensA@agl.com.au.

Community engagement

AGL is committed to developing and maintaining good relationships with the local communities in which we operate. We believe in more listening, less talking.

AGL’s approach to stakeholder engagement is outlined in the Sustainability Report and can be summarised in terms of leaving a positive legacy; AGL will strive to make a net positive social, economic and environmental contribution to the communities in which we operate. AGL’s community engagement commitments that operate under this framework are that AGL will:

Be proactive: we will engage with communities early and often, so that we understand and respond to their interests and concerns.
Be flexible and inclusive: we will offer a range of engagement opportunities that are tailored to the variety of needs and preferences of the communities in which we operate.
Be transparent: we will act honestly and ethically in all our dealings with the communities in which we operate.
Support our employees and contractors to engage well: we will provide tools, peer support and training to enable our staff to deliver on our commitment.
Continuously improve our engagement: we will evaluate the effectiveness of our engagement and modify it as needed to ensure that our activities address community needs and expectations.

Community Dialogue Group

The AGL Torrens Island Community Dialogue Group (CDG) was established in 2023 to create a forum for providing updates, seeking feedback and answering questions relating to issues of interest to the broader community around Torrens Island, including ongoing operations, decommissioning and demolition of retiring plant, and the development, construction and operation of new plant and projects on the site.

The CDG includes key representatives and stakeholder groups who have a demonstrable interest in or connection to AGL Torrens Island.

The AGL Torrens Island CDG Terms of Reference can be viewed here (PDF).

Minutes from past Torrens CDG Meetings can be viewed here.

Torrens CDG Meeting 20 February 2024 (PDF)
Torrens CDG Meeting 15 August 2023 (PDF)
Torrens CDG Meeting 13 November 2023 (PDF)

Torrens Island CDG Membership is below.

Role	Name	Email
Independent Chair	Barbara Chappell	chappell@simplyspeaking.net.au
Community representatives (x2)	Alex Hayter (Port River Sailing Club) Stephen Waites (Dolphin Sanctuary Kayak Tours)	alegayter@gmail.com info@dolphinkayak.com.au
Business/industry representatives (x2)	Johan Revalk (AdBri) Grace Derrick (ASC)	johan.revalk@adbri.com.au grace.derrick@asc.com.au
Environment representatives (x2)	Tony Bazeley (PAREPG) JulieAnn Stoll (PAREPG)	parepg@parepg.org.au
Federal Government representative	Kieran O’Dea (Mark Butler MP’s office)	kieran.odea@aph.gov.au
Kaurna Representative	Merle Simpson, Kaurna Elder	merlesimpson@icloud.com
State Government representative	Steve Vines (Susan Close MP’s Office)	ptadelaide@parliament.sa.gov.au
Local Government representative	Adrian Wotton (Port Adelaide Enfield Councillor)	adrian.wotton@cityofpae.sa.gov.au

AGL Torrens has a Community Support Fund, which supports local community groups and organisations.

Recent partnerships include those with:

Foodbank, helping address cost-of-living pressures and food insecurity in South Australia, with a focus on supporting people and families requiring assistance in the community around Torrens Island.

Kaurna cultural activities, including repatriation efforts and community initiatives on Torrens Island.

Environment

At AGL, taking care of the environment is something we consider in everything we do. We are committed to achieving excellence in environmental management and performance. We are working hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimise our environmental footprint.

Community complaints and enquiries

AGL understands that we don’t always get it right, and we want to be informed when we don’t. If you would like to provide any feedback, good or bad, or simply ask some questions, please feel free to get in touch via the following channels: