00:02As coal comes down, gas fires up.
00:05The government is considering a 300 megawatt gas-generated power station in Kwinana as
00:11it plans to switch off coal by 2030.
00:14Gas has got half the emissions of coal-fired energy.
00:19The ABC understands the project would cost more than half a billion dollars and for that
00:24price there is no increase in energy output.
00:27It's a straight replacement for old turbines like those commissioned in Pinjar more than
00:3330 years ago.
00:34It's to replace existing assets that are coming to the end of their lives.
00:37There's bipartisan support for the project with a caveat.
00:41The new shouldn't replace the old.
00:44The Liberals say the state needs both.
00:47There's no way that the government is closing down its coal fleet on its current time frame
00:51unless they have significantly more gas generation.
00:53That means they need new and additional gas, not just replacing old units.
00:58Gas turbines are sparking demand worldwide.
01:00And a Perth energy expert says there's no way a gas power station could be built before
01:062030.
01:08The demand for these units is very high and the delivery time is between five and seven
01:12years.
01:12Ian Porter says the money would be better spent on refurbishing old units.
01:17If the green transition goes to plan, gas will be the backup for the grid.
01:22It would seem totally illogical to have a standby unit that is used very rarely and insist that
01:28that that unit should be highly efficient.
01:29But today gas makes up more than half of the state's energy mix.
01:34The project will open for public consultation this week with a final decision on the power
01:40station expected by the end of the year.
01:42The.
01:43The.
01:44The.
01:44The.
01:44The.
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