IT'S not quite a milestone to raise the bat for but after 40 years of providing power for Queensland the near 300 workers at NRG Gladstone Power Station did celebrate with a staff lunch and an early knock-off.

Gladstone Power Station was officially opened on September 17, 1976, by then Queensland premier Joh Bjelke Petersen, the plant, however, already in operation.

Yesterday at the celebration lunch acting general manager Nigel Warrington said despite all the changes during the decades there was no doubt that Queensland's largest power station was regarded as a good place to work.

"We have a handful of employees who have been here or in the power industry for 40 years or more and overall we have more than 60 employees with 25 years of service or greater,” he said.

"At the other end we still employ 26 local apprentices and we are committed to keeping our apprenticeship program going and providing opportunities for young people in the region.”

One of the long-serving employees was Darryl Bond, who started at the power station almost 38 years ago and will retire on Wednesday.

He started as an electrician and, within 10 months, had moved on to become a control systems operator.

"I worked there for quite some time until I saw everything was going towards computers and earned some extra qualifications,” he said.

He worked at the power station while finishing a degree in computer science.

"This place has been great. It's allowed me to move through a variety of roles,” the technology superintendent said.

Manager of engineering and projects Stephen Lewis said the power plant had always been a part of his life.

"As a child I have memories of waking up at 3am and looking out the window at the power station,” he said. "If the plume was going straight up, that meant 'reef trip'.”

He made special mention of Bob Dennien, who started at the station on January 5, 1976 and Noel Else, who started on May 26, 1976.

As for the future of the three stacks to the north-west of Gladstone, acting general manager Nigel Warrington said NRG was still putting money into capital works and maintenance to extend the plant's life.

"As long as we are required to power Boyne Smelter and the rest of Queensland we will be here,” he said.