The dirty little secret of our energy transition |
Energy industry insiders who understand the complex transition to renewables won’t raise an eyebrow around the latest warnings that the closure date of Australia’s biggest coal-fired power plant Eraring may need to be extended.
It’s the dirty little secret that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the NSW state government, the power plant’s owner Origin, and in fact the entire industry has seen coming for a while. And there has been no shortage of hints along the way.
While no one is saying definitively that the 2027 date for the closing-down party has changed, there is now an inevitability about it.
Eraring is the biggest power station in the country.Credit: Peter Lorimer
Energy transmission has become one of the hottest and most politicised issues in Australia, so warning bells about the possibility of blackouts in the event of the planned decommissioning of coal power stations fuel a blame game. It also confuses the average Australian who just wants reliability and an electricity bill without sticker shock.
Australians generally have also been happy customers........