00:00The state government was once so concerned about potential blackouts, it offered to cover
00:07Origin Energy's losses at Araring if the company extended the life of the power station
00:12until 2027.
00:14But so far Origin hasn't needed that lifeline and now it wants to keep the ageing asset
00:19running until 2029.
00:22Taxpayers haven't had to pay but we've gained stable electricity and that's really the government's
00:27primary goal.
00:28Last year the Australian energy market operator warned that if Araring close next year energy
00:34supplies could be threatened.
00:36Origin says its decision will provide stability to both the grid and to its workers who've
00:41been worried about the future.
00:43That anxiety is slightly relieved because they do now know that they have another couple
00:48of years of employment in an industry that they like and enjoy that pays pretty reasonable
00:53money.
00:54But not all locals are happy the 41 year old facility is getting another extension.
00:58We've got to put up with the emissions, we've got to put up with the extra coal ash being
01:03stored on the dam.
01:05New South Wales has a legislated emissions reduction target of 50% by 2030.
01:10Araring is due to close in 2029 so there should be no impact on that target but there will
01:16still be tens of millions of tonnes of extra CO2 going into the atmosphere.
01:22Climate campaigners are blaming years of poor planning.
01:25Accelerate the rollout of renewables and storage and that actually helps to accelerate the demise
01:31of coal-fired power stations.
01:33But for now this ageing giant lives on.
Comments