Australia: Winton Geothermal Power Plant to Open in December

Town will soon start to run on hot water (The Australian)

Richard Sheedy, a Winton Shire Council engineer, at a bore head where hot artesian water comes out of the ground. Picture: John Elliott

Winton is best known for its abundance of dinosaur fossils but there is something else below the surface drawing attention to the iconic outback town — the harnessing of geothermal energy.

In a pioneering move, Winton Shire Council is on the verge of opening Australia’s largest geothermal energy plant, which will power the town’s key council buildings and potentially the whole community, bringing savings of up to $15 million in energy consumption.

Set to open in December, the Winton geothermal power plant, designed by the consultancy Local Government Infrastructure Services, will avoid changing the geological or chemical composition of water supplies in the region, by using hot water from existing bores which is converted into a sustainable long-term energy source.

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From the Global Geothermal News archives:

• Wednesday, February 15, 2017 - Australia: Queensland Outback Towns Want Geothermal Energy
• Monday, December 5, 2016 - Australia: Winton Geothermal Power Plant Nears Completion
• Tuesday, July 21, 2015 - Australia: Winton council to go ahead with $3.5m geothermal power plant in bid to ease electricity costs