Worn out Liddell power station not up for future challenges
AGL has delayed the closure of its Liddell coal power station – a clear sign that Australia has not planned for the energy system of the future.
AGL today announced that its old clunker in the NSW Hunter Valley won’t close in 2022 as previously announced. Instead, it will continue spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere until April 2023.
“Like a 50 year old car, AGL might be able to keep Liddell limping along for another year, but it isn’t a solution to energy reliability or climate change. What’s missing here is the policy to bring in renewables and storage which will provide a long term solution,” said the Climate Council’s CEO, Amanda McKenzie.
Liddell is the dirtiest and oldest coal power station in NSW, producing more emissions for each unit of electricity than any other coal power station in the state.
“Extending Liddell’s life by just four months will see it emit around 2 million tonnes more greenhouse gas emissions than closing it at the end of 2022,” said Ms McKenzie.
“It is not up to managing worsening heatwaves that are putting extraordinary pressure on old coal power stations. Liddell has experienced a number of breakdowns in recent years,” she said.
“Climate change, driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas is already affecting NSW. We’re seeing longer and more intense heatwaves and bushfires. Just this week, parts of the state began their ‘bushfire danger period’ two months early,” she said.
The NSW and Federal Governments need to develop a plan to transition the state to renewable energy and storage.
