Amidst the intrigue regarding the fate of Australia’s coal-fired power stations, the Prime Minister and the CEO of AGL this week appeared to take contrary positions over the future of the Liddell plant in the Hunter Valley.
While the Prime Minister and members of the Coalition have been keen to assert there would be a commercial buyer for the plant, should AGL follow through with their plans to exit the Hunter, warnings were plentiful on Wednesday that there would be a 1,000 megawatt shortage in baseload dispatchable power generation with the planned 2022 closure.
A report from the nation’s energy market operator, Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), released on Tuesday, cautioned urgent action was needed to prevent blackouts on hot summer days.
In response, the Prime Minister said his government wanted to delay the closure of Liddell by at least five years, trying to avert the same fate of employees at Victoria’s Hazelwood plant. The Prime Minister said AGL was “prepared to sell to a responsible party” which would allow the power station to keep operating beyond the slated closure date.
However responding firstly via Twitter, and then through ASX-sanctioned channels, the CEO of AGL, Mr Andy Vesey, appeared to dim the flicker of hope surrounding the plant’s savour, confirming their commitment to divest their interests in coal.
Keeping old coal plants open won't deliver the reliable, affordable energy our customers need: https://t.co/vY0WJGkEBS
— Andy Vesey (@AndyVesey_AGL) September 5, 2017
The Company Secretary of Delta Electricity, Mr Steve Gurney, said Delta was interested in acquisitions in “the traditional coal-fired sector and in the renewable energy sector” giving hope that Liddell and its employees would be saved in the medium term.
