Australia’s biggest coal-fired power station to stay open until 2029

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Australia's biggest coal-fired power station has been given another extension. Eraring, on the shores of Lake Macquarie, will now operate until 2029. The government says it'll deliver energy security, but critics argue that will come at a cost.

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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.

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