During its operating life, it was the largest power station in the Northern Territory, although it was considered unreliable and highly inefficient.

Stokes Hill's high operating costs required government to heavily subsidise power bills for Darwin residents,[1] who frequently experienced supply disruptions.

In the days immediately following the storm, small diesel generators were brought online at Stokes Hill in order to provide power to the old Darwin Hospital, located at Myilly Point in Larrakeyah.

In addition to reliability issues and the high cost of oil, by this time base-load demand for electricity in Darwin was growing at a rate of 3.5% per annum.

Today, little trace of the power station is evident at the site, which is a short distance from the new Darwin Waterfront Precinct.