INTHEBLACK July 2025 - Magazine - Page 28
F E AT U R E
Ravenswood
Generating Station in
New York City, US
OPTIONS TO CONSIDER
A first step in the redevelopment of a power
station is the alignment of vested interests
or “getting all your stakeholders on board,”
explains Charlesworth. It is also important
to consider the combination of assets and
connectivity available to uplift the land value.
Coal-fired power station sites have
a suite of attributes in common, notably
very good power connections or access
to them, water and transport of various
types. “It’s a brownfield [site] situation
so neighbours are usually not too close,”
says Charlesworth.
“You are looking at individual parcels
of land and trying to find the delta. What
will it cost to get that site to the higher
land use, beyond the minimum
rehabilitation requirements?”
If the decision is to replace the generation
capacity of coal with renewables, in many
instances wind and solar probably won’t fit.
However, batteries, gas-fired power (which
is recognised as part of the transition),
hydrogen production or other
complementary land uses involving
co-location of businesses like solar panel
manufacturers may be viable, she says.
Decarbonisation is the focus for one
of Australia’s largest energy companies,
AGL, with its integrated Hunter Energy
Hub that aims to bring together green
28 INTHEBLACK July 2025
advanced manufacturing, waste recycling,
grid-scale batteries and energy generation.
It will be set on 10,000 hectares in the
New South Wales Hunter Valley, where
the now-decommissioned Liddell and still
operating Bayswater (slated for closure in
2030–33) power stations stand.
In New York City, Ravenswood Generating
Station was acquired by energy giant
Rise Light & Power for transformation into
a renewable energy centre. One of Europe’s
largest utility companies, Enel, is seeking
to turn 23 power plants in Italy into eco hubs
dedicated to science, art, culture, tourism
or new industrial activities.
For those tasked with reimagining
a coal-fired power station, the challenge
is in finding a combination of activities
that will deliver the best return. In regional
locations, no single purpose or activity
is a clear winner, according to Charlesworth.
“Batteries are the obvious starting point
for everybody because they make money
in the market, they’re modular — so readily
installed — and approvals are fairly easy.”
Community expectations for employment,
however, may not be met. The goal to replace
or create jobs on a renewables-only site
may be far-fetched, suggests Mountain.
“There are jobs in the construction phase
of wind and solar, but very few in the
operational phase. Running a coal-fired
