Leigh Creek Energy (LCK) has announced production of the Siemens power generators to supply power for Leigh Creek Urea Project (LCUP) Stage 1 operations is on track for completion in early 2022.
The LCUP is the company’s flagship project, developing low-cost nitrogen-based fertiliser for local and export agriculture markets.
LCK expects the generators to be shipped to Australia in January 2022.
The Siemens generators, ordered from Drivetrain Australia in July 2021, are the first long lead items for the upstream commercialisation (Stage 1) of the LCUP.
LCK managing director Phil Staveley said they have received a production update from Siemens that the generators are progressing to plan through the production line build at the Siemens manufacturing facility in Spain.
“They will power site infrastructure, eliminate diesel generation, and enable commissioning of gasifiers,” he said.
Drivetrain Australia expects the Siemens engines to arrive from Spain in early 2022, which aligns with LCK’s plans to install them onsite.
Located in South Australia, 550 kilometres north of Adelaide, the LCUP will initially produce 1 Mtpa (with potential to increase to 2 Mtpa) of urea.
Staveley said the LCUP intends on being carbon neutral from 2022, likely the first large scale fertiliser project in the world to reach this milestone.
“This is possible because we have incorporated lower emissions and carbon neutrality into all areas of LCUP planning, from the start of construction through to full scale production as Australia’s first fully integrated urea plant servicing local and export agriculture markets.”
The $2.3 billion LCUP will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects of its type in Australia, providing long term economic development and employment opportunities for the communities of the Upper Spencer Gulf region, northern Flinders Ranges and South Australia.
It will be the only fully integrated urea production facility in Australia, with all inputs for low carbon urea production onsite.
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