ORIGIN ENERGY TO SHUT AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST COAL FIRED POWER PLANT. ERARING POWER STATION....
0Origin Energy to shut Australia's largest coal fired power plant. Eraring Power Station. by 2025
Origin Energy is seeking approval to shut Australia's largest coal fired power plant seven years early. with the Eraring facility in the NSW Hunter region now set to close by August 2025. Key points: Origin has applied to the regulator to shut the Eraring Power Station seven years before its previously planned retirementEraring is Australia's largest coal fired power plant. with a capacity of up to 2880 megawatts The company said notice has been submitted to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) indicating the potential early retirement of the plant after the required three and a half year notice period. Eraring is the biggest of 16 remaining coal fired power plants supplying the National Energy Market (NEM). with seven of those already scheduled to close by 2035 and the last planned to shut by 2051. The ABC understands that Origin has 240 employees at the power plant. but contractors raise the total number of staff there to about 400. While electricity generated from coal still supplies 60 per cent of power in the National Energy Market. that is down from 87 per cent when records began in 2006. Eraring is Origin's only coal fired power station. meaning that the company will generate power from a combination of renewables and gas. 'Biggest battery in Southern Hemisphere' In its place. the company said it has 'well progressed plans' for battery storage of up to 700 megawatts on the site. 'Origin's proposed exit from coal fired generation reflects the continuing. rapid transition of the NEM as we move to cleaner sources of energy.' said the company's chief executive. Frank Calabria. NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean said Origin's decision to close Eraring was months in the making. 'Origin approached me about the possibility of this decision a number of months ago.' he said. 'During that time. we've worked to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the possibility of today's decision. That plan will involve making sure that we focus on keeping reliability of the system and that we put downward pressure on prices.' Mr Kean said that he believed regulatory approval from AEMO to close the plant would be forthcoming. 'AEMO. the independent system operator. has considered our plan and has said that we will meet our energy security target even with the closure of Eraring in 2025.' he told reporters. 'Today I'm announcing that we will be building the biggest battery in the Southern Hemisphere. A 700 megawatt transmission battery that will free up capacity in our transmission system and that will enable users to access more of our existing supply.' 'Planned additional transmission capacity – including the announced battery — will give the state access to enough electricity generation to meet the Energy Security Target at the time Eraring closes.' he said in a statement. Closure 'risks reliability' warns federal government Mr Kean's federal counterpart. Angus Taylor. had a very different take on the closure. describing it as 'bitterly disappointing' for both energy users and power workers. 'The early and sudden closure of this 2880MW generator will leave a considerable gap in reliable generation in the National Electricity Market. representing more than 20 per cent of NSW generation output.' he said in a statement. Labor's shadow minister for climate change and energy Chris Bowen highlighted the division between the two. 'Labor welcomes the NSW Government's commitments to build a big battery to ensure reliability. and to bring forward new generation capacity to ensure affordability.' he said in a statement. 'The NSW Liberals and Federal Labor are doing what Scott Morrison won't: acknowledge and plan for the market realities of the global energy transition.' Greens leader Adam Bandt said all parties should get together to agree on a comprehensive plan to phase out coal fired power. 'We urgently need a national climate and energy plan to manage this accelerating shift from coal.' he...
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