March 14, 2020
The State Government has refused to commit to not closing Queensland’s coal-fired power stations before their prescribed end of life.
Shadow Minister for Mines and Energy Pat Weir posed the question on notice to Energy Minister Mick de Brenni on February 24.
Minister’s de Brenni’s reply, published late last week, emphasised the State Government would not be “shutting the gate” on coal communities but did not rule out early closures.
“It is because Queenslanders own their power assets, we can manage the portfolio of traditional and new generation assets and avoid the uncertainty we have seen in privatised southern States,” Mr de Brenni replied.
“When you consider the impacts of emerging global events, it’s clear Australia must achieve full energy independence, to shield our nation from foreign companies and foreign powers. That means a renewables-based, decarbonised economy.
“The Palaszczuk Government will not be shutting the gate on our power stations, their workers or their communities, instead we will invest in their future.
“The Palaszczuk Government has committed to release our Energy Plan later this year. The Energy Plan will specify the pathway to modernising our assets and show how they will sit at the heart of our renewable energy eco-system.”
Does anyone really believe anything that that bunch of no-hopers says? They will tell you anything and expect you to believe it!
The renewables-based stuff is already proving to be a pipedream elsewhere.
I sure wouldn’t like to have shares in an aluminium smelter these days. The Tomago smelter alone would empty the S.A. big battery in 8 minutes. One day off for renewables-based supply would need 180 big batteries. Just for Tomago alone!
Incredible isn’t it? Wasn’t that battery about one million dollars?
GB and the EU are now scrambling like mad to keep their energy supply up since their foray into renewables; weather turns sour and trouble starts!
Also where does most of the renewables come from? China??
In fairness, Tomago is the largest single user of power in NSW and currently accounts for 12% of that State’s power production (for which read: 12% of all NSW power plant pollution)
However, that coal-produced power could be replaced by a gas power station running on hydrogen (which – you guessed it! – is a renewable). And this will likely occur in the next couple of decades as hydrogen production ramps up and dirty coal power plants are retired.
Good old LNP, doing its typical manipulate-their-supporters electioneering, relying on folks being either unaware or forgetful; or just belief-based generational political voting.
LNP, when they had a massive majority in government, sacked some 150-plus workers from Stanwell, aka Tarong coal-fired power station, THEN wanted to sell Stanwell off, not to aid the local community but to aid the rail needed for the Adani foreign-owned large-scale export coal mine.
Fair crack, the LNP playing politics yet again knows no limits. It treats regional folk as mugs time and time again.
Regions deserve far better than this rot from the LNP. No wonder electorates are changing slowly but surely.