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Wastewater Treatment Solutions for Power Stations

Power stations, including hydropower, coal, and gas-fired plants, generate oil-contaminated wastewater during cooling, equipment maintenance, and cleaning processes. This wastewater must be treated to remove oil, lubricants, and hydrocarbons before discharge or reuse to ensure environmental compliance and operational efficiency.

Baldwin Industrial Systems offers complete wastewater treatment solutions that help power stations stay compliant, reduce environmental risk, and manage water efficiently. Our systems are designed to treat oily runoff from across the facility and support safe, sustainable operations.

Complete Solutions for Power Station Wastewater

 

Power stations require tough, low-maintenance systems that can operate under high-load conditions with minimal downtime. Baldwin designs and manufactures a full range of wastewater treatment equipment suitable for all areas of the power generation process, from cooling water to maintenance runoff.

Coalescing Plate Oil-Water Separators

These separators use a series of parallel plates to remove free oils, grease, and hydrocarbons from wastewater. Compact and efficient, they are ideal for managing oily runoff from cleaning, maintenance, and storage areas.

Oil Skimmers (Belt, Tube & Floating)

Skimmers are used to collect floating oil, grease, and hydrocarbons from pits, tanks, and bunded areas before entering the main treatment system. Floating skimmers are especially effective in large or open catchment areas, including fuel storage zones and cooling water reservoirs.

Clarifiers

Clarifiers remove grit, heavy solids, and debris from wastewater via gravity separation. They are commonly used as a primary treatment step, particularly in maintenance or washdown areas where oil-water mixtures are common.

Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) Systems

DAF systems separate emulsified oils, grease, surfactants, and fine particles using dissolved air microbubbles. They are highly effective in treating wastewater containing cleaning agents or surfactants from chemical treatments or equipment cleaning processes.

pH & Dosing Systems

These systems control the chemical composition of wastewater, ensuring it meets local discharge requirements. They are particularly useful for neutralising acidic or alkaline runoff before final treatment in refinery cooling and turbine maintenance.

Filtration & Polishing Media

Used after separation, these filters remove residual solids and contaminants. This final step improves water quality, allowing for reuse or compliant discharge, especially for cooling systems and equipment cleaning.

Control Panels

Automated control systems enable real-time monitoring and adjustment of the treatment process. These systems improve overall performance and reduce the need for manual oversight, allowing plant operators to focus on core power generation tasks.

Custom Fabrication

Every power station is different. Baldwin provides custom skid-mounted systems designed to match your site’s unique layout, flow rate, and contaminant load. These systems are engineered for minimal disruption to your operations, ensuring seamless integration with existing infrastructure.

What Are the Benefits of Installing the Right System

Effective wastewater treatment is not just about meeting discharge limits. The right system protects the environment, reduces operating costs, and helps critical infrastructure running effectively. 

What are the Key Benefits?

  • Efficient Oil & Hydrocarbon Removal: Removes fuel, lubricants, and grease from wastewater to prevent contamination and support eco-friendly discharge.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Helps power stations meet EPA and local council requirements for discharge, reducing the risk of fines and ensuring compliance with environmental standards.
  • Supports Water Recycling: Treated water can be reused in cooling towers, make-up water, or maintenance activities, reducing freshwater demand and cutting water-related costs.
  • Low Maintenance Design: Simplifies servicing and operation, reducing unplanned downtime.
  • Protects Infrastructure: Prevents clogging and corrosion in pumps, drains, and cooling systems.
  • Improves Environmental Performance: Reduces your site’s environmental footprint and supports sustainable reporting outcomes.

 

Applications for your Power Station Facility

Our systems are designed to support wastewater management across multiple operational areas of a power station:

  • Equipment Washdown Areas: Separates oil and solids from wastewater during maintenance and cleaning.
  • Cooling System Blowdown: Treats water discharged during system flushing or cooling tower cleaning.
  • Turbine & Generator Bays: Manages oily runoff and maintenance water near high-performance mechanical assets.
  • Fuel Handling & Storage: Captures hydrocarbons from spills and leaks in fuel storage or lubricant bunds.
  • Stormwater Runoff Management: Removes oil and debris from surface water before it enters storm drains.

 

Need a Wastewater Treatment Solution for Your Power Station?

Baldwin provides high-performance, easy-to-maintain treatment systems built to meet the needs of power generation facilities. Call our team today on 02 4954 0440 for expert advice on the best wastewater setup for your site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most power stations require a combination of oil skimming, coalescing plate separation, pH correction, DAF treatment, and filtration depending on your processes and the volume of contaminated water you produce.

Yes. With proper treatment, wastewater can be reused in non-potable systems like cooling tower make-up or equipment cleaning. This helps reduce water costs and supports environmental targets.

Yes. Baldwin systems are modular and scalable, making them suitable for everything from small backup generators to large-scale coal or gas-fired plants.

If your stormwater is exposed to fuel, lubricants, or machinery areas, then yes. Stormwater treatment helps prevent hydrocarbons from reaching local waterways and is often required by councils or environmental regulators.

Absolutely. Baldwin offers compact, skid-mounted systems that can be added to existing plants with minimal modification. We also offer full system design and installation support to ensure smooth integration.