A serious incident at Yallourn Power Station this past weekend highlights the critical importance of safety and proactive maintenance in our energy infrastructure.
An internal air duct collapsed in Unit 3 during scheduled maintenance, detaching from the boiler and falling to the floor. Fortunately, no one was injured. Energy Australia has stated the unit will remain offline for at least two weeks as investigations are carried out and the integrity of similar equipment is assessed.
Energy Australia has reaffirmed that its priority remains the safety of its people.
This latest incident follows findings from a recent Reliability Watch report, which identified Yallourn Power Station as having the highest breakdown rate among Gippsland’s coal-fired power plants. Between October 2024 and March 2025, Yallourn experienced 18 unplanned outages—well above the five that had been scheduled, most of which occurred at Unit 4.
As the oldest remaining coal-fired station in the Latrobe Valley, Yallourn’s infrastructure is showing its age. Originally comprising six plants dating back to 1921, only one remains operational today. Built in 1974, it still supplies around 22% of Victoria’s electricity. The plant is scheduled for closure in 2028, but this latest incident raises fresh questions about the viability of keeping it running safely until then.
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-09/yallourn-power-station-outage-air-duct-collapse/105394406
https://www.energyaustralia.com.au/about-us/energy-generation/yallourn-power-station
Cover Image: By Marcus Wong Wongm – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2584856