Macquarie Generation’s Bayswater Power Station in the Upper Hunter Valley area of New South Wales is one of two stations owned and operated by Macquarie Generation.

Each year Macquarie Generation produces approximately 13 percent of the electricity required by people in eastern Australia, making Macquarie Generation one of the country’s largest electricity generators.

Bayswater’s design reflects the progress and improvements in power generation technology to maximise efficiency and minimise environmental impacts. The most distinctive feature of Bayswater Power Station is the four evaporative cooling towers.

Over recent years Bayswater Power Station has produced approximately 15,000GWhs of electricity a year. This is enough power for 2 million average Australian homes and families.

Following a mandatory 25-year inspection Macquarie Generation recognised that two of the station’s overhead cranes required upgrades to their drive systems to meet current Australian safety standards and to address obsolesce issues.

With a commitment to the improvement of operation and technology upgrades, BayswaterPower Station called on the expertise of the Rockwell Automation Solutions team to project-manage, design, manufacture, install and commission a solution to meet the Company’s requirements.

The primary role of the cranes is for use during shut downs of the power station’s generators. Shutdowns took place once or twice a year depending on what was required when work was suspended.

According to Peter Tomazic, Solutions Consultant for Rockwell Automation, “The primary role of the cranes is to lift equipment in and out as required during outages. When the power station is running normally these cranes generally sit idle.”