THERE ARE concerns over the maintenance of the Yallourn and Hazelwood power stations, after temporary solutions were used to protect personnel from potential hazards.
According to maintenance technicians, they had to use shipping containers to build a barrier in front of the giant turbine at Yallourn in case its cracked blades flew off.
A TRUenergy spokesperson said the cracks in the Yallourn turbine blades appeared earlier than expected, but the operator fixed the problem in April and May 2008. This work was part of a four-year $100m overhaul of the power plant's generating units.
Although operators continue to cut costs because of uncertainty due to the carbon pollution trading scheme, TRUenergy says its July cost-cutting was only made after its maintenance staff reviewed the required budget.
At the Hazelwood power, a wall was reportedly erected around a corroded boiler station to protect workers from danger.
A spokesman from the Hazelwood power station denied the wall around its boiler, but according to CFMEU and WorkSafe Victoria, the wall was indeed erected around the boiler after corrosion was found in the walls.
The two power plants produce about 50% of the state’s power. According to the Yallourn operator, the overhaul of its power station allowed the facility to produce a record 1076 GWh of electricity in July 2008.

Note: this article has been revised in light of clarifications from TRUenergy

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