No New Coal in NSW

Two new coal power stations for NSW?
We say: "Enough is enough"

The NSW government has given approval for concept plans that open the door to two massive new coal power stations. If financed and built, they will spew over 20 million tonnes of greenhouse pollution into the atmosphere each year.

With everything we know about climate change, investing in new coal is utter madness.


What's their plan?

The two proposed plans are:

  • Mt Piper, near Lithgow in the Blue Mountains: 2000 megawatt power station
  • Bayswater, near Musswellbrook in the Hunter Valley: 2000 megawatt power station

The government has said these plants will be either coal or gas, but will leave this decision up to "the market" (private sector investors). In reality, there are already massive coal plants at Mt Piper and Bayswater, and all of the infrastructure is set up for more coal rather than gas. And, without a price on carbon pollution, gas is likely to the more expensive option.

For more information, you can check out the NSW Planning website for
Bayswater and Mt Piper


New coal not needed

Instead of building new coal or gas, we should be investing in building a vibrant renewable energy industry in NSW and creating thousands of clean energy jobs.

Current projections of increasing energy consumption show that NSW does not need any new power stations until 2017 at the earliest. But a study from the Institute of Sustainable Futures [PDF] shows that even this shortfall could be met through a combination of modest energy efficiency improvements and distributed energy (renewable and cogeneration). As well as reducing our greenhouse emissions, this approach could save up to $4 billion in energy costs over the next decade.

The price of renewable energy is gradually coming down as technology improves and the industry grows. It's only a matter of time before renewables are cheaper than coal. It is vital that we don't lock ourselves into another 30 years of polluting coal power.


The key decision makers


Behind the scenes, the plan is being pushed by Joe Tripodi as well as other backroom powerbrokers in the NSW ALP.


Related links



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Take action:
Call Kristina Keneally


The buck stops with the Premier. Joe Tripodi may be the architect of plans for new coal power stations, but Kristina Keneally has the power to stop them. There is a critical Cabinet meeting coming up soon and we need your help.

Please phone the Premier's office on (02) 9228 5239 and let them know you support a ban on new coal power. It'll only take a few minutes and you can just leave a message with one of the Premier's friendly staffers.

Here's a couple of things you can say:
  • Tell them of your concerns about climate change.
  • Let them know you don't want new coal power stations, and that you want renewable energy instead.

So, next time you're out for a coffee break, give the Premier a bell. The more people she hears from, the more likely it is she'll support a ban on new coal.


Other things you can do


Write to NSW politicians

You can write to a NSW Cabinet Minister (or to the entire Cabinet) as well as your local member for state parliament.

  • Contact details for Cabinet Ministers are available here
  • Contact details for local members in NSW are available here
.
Some points to mention in your letters:
  • Climate change is an urgent threat and we need to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions, not increase them.
  • NSW doesn't need new coal-fired power stations. Future energy needs can be met through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy.
  • We should be investing in renewable energy and creating the clean industries of the future.
  • New coal plants should be banned.
  • All new energy should come from pollution-free renewable energy.


Collect petition signatories

Only petitions with original signatures can be tabled in NSW Parliament so we need you to download and print off copies for your family, friends, neighbours, community and workmates to sign as soon as you can. We will then formally table all the petitions in Parliament. We want to make it the biggest official petition that they’ve seen for years.