Callide Power Trading fined A$9 million after catastrophic explosion

• 18 days ago (2025-02-04)
• David Flin

Australasia 58 Coal 309

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Callide Power Trading (CPT), owner of the Callide Power Station at Biloela, Queensland, Australia has been fined A$9 million following an inquiry into the explosion at Unit 4 of the plant.

In May 2021, the C4 unit at the station caught fire during a battery charger replacement procedure, causing the state’s worst power outage in over a decade.

In 2024, the Australian Energy Regulator launched Federal Court action against CPT alleging it broke National Electricity Rules. It said that the unit did not have sufficient energy supply to disconnect the generating unit when the faults occurred, nor did it have a protection system to promptly disconnect it.

On 4 February 2024, the Federal Court fined CPT A$9 million.

Clare Savage, Chair of the Australian Energy Regulator, said that the penalty reinforced the importance of compliance “to ensure the security and safety of the power system.”