Today’s announcement from Energy Australia that it will be closing the notorious Yallourn coal-burning power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley by mid- 2028 is the ‘death knell’ for Australia’s struggling coal industry, according to Greenpeace Australia Pacific.Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Glenn Walker said that today’s announcement is yet another nail in the coffin for coal, calling on AGL to follow the lead set by Energy Australia and bring forward the closure date for Loy Yang A, its Latrobe Valley coal-burning power station.
“Energy Australia’s announcement that it is speeding up the closure of Yallourn, one of the country’s dirtiest coal-burning power stations, is the lingering death rattle of the dying Australian coal industry,” he said.
“Yallourn should be closed by 2025 at the latest to avoid catastrophic climate damage and provide certainty for the local workforce – but Energy Australia’s revised timeline for closure shows that the operators of Australia’s coal-burning power stations can read the writing on the wall.”
“Australia’s coal industry is on its knees, as it is superseded by cleaner, safer renewable energy. AGL, Australia’s biggest climate polluter, should take note. To keep Australians safe from catastrophic climate damage, AGL needs to follow Energy Australia’s lead and bring forward the closure date of Loy Yang A to 2030.”
“Dirty, inefficient and unreliable coal power stations like Yallourn and Loy Yang A have no place in a modern electricity grid – and what’s more, they’re driving up electricity prices and delivering poor returns for investors. AGL and Energy Australia need to put in place a managed transition plan for their imminent closure and replacement with renewables, that safeguards jobs for the local community.”
Energy Australia has said that it will close brown-coal powered Yallourn, one of Australia’s dirtiest power stations, by 2028, bringing forward the closure date by four years from the previous time frame of 2032. The Victorian state government will be funding Energy Australia to build a giant battery to replace Yallourn.
For more information contact Fiona Ivits on 0487 003 872 or [email protected]