AGL today announced $22 million maintenance works are underway at AGL Macquarie’s Bayswater power station, providing jobs and an important boost to the local economy, and ensuring the plant remains safe and reliable over the upcoming summer months.

More than 350 additional people have been deployed to work on the maintenance outage of Unit 3, which is expected to be completed towards the end of September.

AGL Chief Operating Officer, Markus Brokhof said with the summer months fast approaching, making sure our power stations are safe and reliable for the increase in energy demand is critical.

“No matter what time of year it is, we know our customers expect safe, reliable and efficient energy to power their homes and businesses and this outage will allow AGL to continue to provide the very best service,” Mr Brokhof said.

“Both local and intrastate workers are contracted to deliver more than 76,000 hours of work over the five weeks of the outage, delivering a significant boost to the Hunter economy.

“We know regional areas, like the Hunter have experienced significant challenges in the past few years with drought, bushfires and more recently the impact of COVID-19.

“We are confident these works will provide an important economic stimulus for the Upper Hunter and see more customers through the doors of our local businesses.

“Bayswater plays a major role in NSW’s energy security, powering up to two million average homes and generating around 20% of the state’s electricity.

“Bayswater power station has four separate generating units, which means a single unit can be taken offline for maintenance without any impact on the operation or output from the rest of the station.

“These maintenance works help to ensure we have reliable generation from Bayswater and assist in managing or preventing unexpected breakdowns.”

The scope of the work includes inspecting, repairing and improving major areas of the plant, including the boiler, gas air heaters and feedwater heaters.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, AGL has implemented important management controls across the site including social distancing, hygiene controls, compulsory masks on site and temperature screening at security gates. AGL site teams and contractors will be focussed on personal safety and the safety of their workmates during the outage period.

Further enquiries