In March this year the Victorian Government announced it had struck a deal to close the Yallourn coal fired power station four years early, in 2028. The details of the deal with the power station owner, EnergyAustralia (EA), remain confidential, described by Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio at Budget Estimates in June as “commercial in …
After a mild summer contributed to the lowest Q1 prices in the NEM since 2012, concerns about price spikes are suddenly back on the agenda. All mainland regions of the NEM have seen significant price volatility in the last couple of months. Clearly a factor is the tightness of supply due to outages and reduced …
Victoria’s ageing Yallourn brown coal fired power station could be flooded for the third time this century, risking the sudden removal of 1,480MW – around 20 per cent – of the state’s generation as it heads into the winter demand peaks. Worried? The market doesn’t seem to be, with the Victorian price of caps – …
Dramatic events unfolded on Tuesday evening in Queensland, as a fire broke out in CS energy’s Callide C coal-fired power plant. Fortunately, no-one was injured as a result, although the unit was severely damaged. While the loss of a large coal unit is a major shock to the system it is the kind of situation …
Controversy has reigned over the Energy Security Board’s recent suggestion that the best way to ensure reliability in the NEM is via a physically-backed version of the existing Retailer Reliability Obligation (RRO). Many of the opponents of the proposal have sought to portray it as a subsidy to coal plants. Is this a fair description? …
Is the Energy Security Board proposing to introduce a coal subsidy? Read More »
AEMO recently updated its Electricity Statement of opportunities (ESOO) to reflect the agreement between Energy Australia and the Victorian Government to close the Yallourn brown coal power station in 2028. Unsurprisingly, the forecast is that Victoria will need investment in new dispatchable generation by the time of Yallourn’s closure to replace the 1,480 MW plant, …
Rumours are rife that Australia’s largest electricity company AGL is about to break up with itself. Next Tuesday AGL CEO Brett Redman is expected to announce a green re-invention of the company, selling off or de-merging some of its highest emissions coal generators to re-focus the company on the rapid decarbonisation anticipated over the next …
Observers of Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) would be forgiven for thinking the era of high prices has left us for the time being (at least until the next coal plant closes). A minor dampening of demand from COVID and a more significant one from a mild summer has coincided with growing renewables on our …
South Australia: take a ride on the electricity price roller coaster Read More »
The impending closure of the Yallourn power station poses a major reliability problem for Victoria. After Hazelwood in 2017, it will be the second of the state’s four giant brown coal generators to close. That’s the withdrawal of more than 3000 megawatts of dispatchable generation, and the emissions that go with them. Victorian Energy Minister …
