By Jo Nova
The Zombie coal plant lives again
Eraring coal plant is Australia’s largest coal power station. Obviously it’s a polluting monstrosity that kills koalas and is more expensive than solar panels. It’s also old and yet, for some reason, when it was supposed to shut down in August last year, the government dished out nearly half a billion dollars to keep it running for another two years until 2027.
Now, in a second round of baffling electrical fever, the NSW government has twisted the arm of Origin Energy to make sure they don’t shut the coal plant until 2029. All four coal units will be kept running.
Eraring supplies nearly a quarter of the electricity used in our largest industrial state, but apparently the wonderland new renewables grid isn’t quite ready, even though it’s 2026 and we are supposed to be aiming for 82% unreliable energy by 2030. But cruelly, the renewables revolution hit a wall and the Snowy Hydro Scheme hit an unmodeled rock. Only three new wind farms have been built in Australia last year, and everyone hates the interconnector transmission lines.
If the renewables grid was utterly failing, and the targets were all going to be missed, this is exactly what the early stages of a big backflip would look like. They can just keep extending the coal plants.
Ministers say Eraring will be used less and less and exists only as “insurance”. Which is like buying a truck to sit on the lawn, just in case your bike, roller skates and e-scooter can’t get you to work.
Origin Energy’s Eraring coal power station gets 2-year extension
By Colin Packham, The Australian
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the extension will help keep power bills down. “My number one job is keeping the lights on and putting downward pressure on power prices. NSW is making real progress replacing ageing coal-fired power stations. Since the election, we have increased the amount of renewable energy capacity in operation by almost 70 per cent. That’s equivalent to Eraring’s capacity,” said Ms Sharpe.
The longer lifespan would not impact Origin’s own emissions reduction targets and taxpayers will not at this stage be called upon to provide any financial support, underscoring the profitability of the coal power station near Lake Macquarie.
Shares in Origin rose 2.6 per cent to $11.34 as the market cheered the prospect of additional returns from Eraring.
Green groups are calling this a disaster. They believe that renewables are cheaper than coal, yet say that keeping an old coal plant going will “crowd out” cheaper investments — though they don’t explain why people will choose the coal….
The CEO of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Jacqui Mumford, said “far from supporting the transition, Origin’s decision will crowd out investment in the clean, modern sources of generation we need to be switching to”.
Meanwhile The Blob speaks its own language — this decision has obviously increased real “certainty”, but the Blob says it has been undermined.
Johanna Bowyer of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said extending Eraring “undermines certainty right when investors in new replacement generation need clarity”
Just substitute the phrase “certainty” with “certain income”, or “subsidies” and it all makes sense. And do the same for “clarity” which is another Green word for “money”.
Jo,
“Now, in a second round of baffling electrical fever,” –
I first [mis]read that as “Now, in a second round of baffling electoral fever,” then re=read it …
This has nothing, absolutely nothing whatsoever, to do with such mundane things as elections.
And I imagine ‘they’ will sue if anyone puts ‘Eraring’ and ‘votes’ in the same parish, let alone the same paragraph.
This is purely and only a stepping stone to a better world.
Obviously.
Auto
280
Yes totally. This date extension takes any dreamed of closure past the next NSW and Federal elections. Just a coincidence of course. It’s a pesky issue anyway, you wouldn’t want it distracting from “our democracy”
360
The con merchants certainly love their BS and nonsense while every sane person understands we must strive for only cheap, RELIABLE BASE-LOAD energy like Coal, Gas or Nuclear and the sooner the better.
Even the Germans understand that they’ve WASTED 500 billion $ for decades and they must now build only Nuclear power stns to ensure they have a successful country for the rest of this century.
Of course base-load energy security always ensures that a country has national security.
So why would any country build unreliable, toxic rubbish like W & S and repeat the disaster every 15 to 20 years until 2100?
370
They increased renewables capacity by 70%, which was about equal to Eraring’s capacity. That means they need about another 200% of the same base to match Eraring’s total production. Virtually all of that next 200% will be produced at times when the original 100+70% are producing, ie, when it is not needed.
What a mess.
All of the above is currently rated as misinformation. For all I know, under the new legislation, it is rated as hate speech.
What a mess.
440
In today’s climate of fear, should that be ate-speech or, as I often abbreviate it, 8-speech?
It would appear your elected pollies are trained in the same School of Obfuscation as ours: lots of flapping wings, endless screeching & squawking, yet the only result they produce is a splattered mess on the floor of their cage.
Had the pleasure of driving past Eraring and its towers a few times last year when visiting my brother, sister and extended family during Christmas 2024 – it’s not hard to miss from whichever direction you drive around Lake Macquarie & environs – yet family members spoke of it in hushed tones, almost embarrassingly, as if it was the crazy uncle of the clan nobody wants to mention: they all love their rooftop solar and are eagerly [blindly?] moving forward towards the *Bright Future Of Next Tuesday*.
* with apologies to ThePeoplesCube.
220
It may be equal to Erarings capacity in their addled minds, but can never deliver constant 24×7 energy. They have a massive false equivalence built into their thinking that they cannot shake, even in the face of obvious reality.
100
“Since the election, we have increased the amount of renewable energy capacity in operation by almost 70 per cent. That’s equivalent to Eraring’s capacity,” said Ms Sharpe.”
Will the fact checkers pick up this deliberate obfuscation?
‘Capacity’ = typical politician weasel word attempting to (and generally succeeding) bamboozle the public by quoting nameplate figures
‘Dispatchable capacity’ = reality
320
And apart from a few battery plantations, dispatchable capacity, which is the only metric which counts, is very close to zero.
So all those billions of dollars spent, and economic destruction and dramatically reduced standard of living over the last 30 years or so due to this madness is all for literally NOTHING.
But I bet Emperor Xi is very pleased with his obedient little sycophants down here in The Stupid Country.
421
An enemy studying how to take over Australia could not do it better.
The Labor/Greens have always been communists. With Russia out of the picture, Chinese communists. And they all commute to Beijing.
The real surprise should not have been a surprise. All the enemies of Western Democracies came to the same conclusion. Undermine the elections and that works
best with capturing the conservatives, not the sitting ducks Labor and Green candidates.
Most Australians were very surprised when landslide election winner Tony Abbott was immediately defenestrated on the flimsiest of pretexts. By the ‘Black Hand’ no less.
And then arch Labor villain Malcom Turnbull tried to kill both Labor and the Liberals at once with his secret alliance with the Greens to create his own Socialist/Green party
But behind it all, in the US, Australia, Canada and Britain, there are all these RINOs/CINOs (Conservatives in name only, friends of China). And that either means they win which gives government to China or they lose and government goes to China anyway. Outstanding RINOS like Mitch McConnell with his billionaire Chinese wife and former candidates Mitt Romney and proposed Democrat VP Tim Walz and strangely motivated Murdoch board Member Paul Ryan are just the obvious ones. Ryan as Speaker frustrated Trump’s agenda at every turn, which was amazing. Then handed over to Nancy Pelosi.
It’s nothing to do with Climate Change. That’s a ridiculous hoax. It always was. But the increasingly hidden CO2 taxes are growing exponentially (like our Safeguard Mechanism) and one way or another, find their way back to China. Usually as Carbon Credits as pushed by the United Nations and bankers and business types like Turnbull.
It will be interesting to see if Tim Walz is caught up to his neck in the tens of billions in fraud in Minnesota. And someone has to explain how Ilhan Ohmar is worth $30Million now and of course Nancy Pelosi over $300Million. Clearly just great investors.
What is pleasing is that Trump and team are removing all the fake conservatives. And many faked their way into power in Trump’s first term. Including many judges who now fight Trump’s agenda.
170
It’s fascinating that the EU has just enacted a massive carbon tax on ALL imports. Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
Because that impacts Chinese exports too. And China has officially complained as a ‘developing’ country that it should be exempt. So the producer of 40% of the world’s industrial CO2 thinks it should be exempted! Ha! I don’t think the EU has thought this one through. They have not only crippled all EU manfuacturing and agriculture, they have crippled imports of goods and food. Amazingly demonstrates that politicians can get it all wrong, penalizing all local suppliers and all imports.
So it’s not about coal and gas any more. Unless someone has an alternative other than nuclear and the UK preference, wood for the DRAXO plant, which is beyond ridiculous logic for the largest power plant in the UK. Wood.
110
After the bushfires in Victoria no mention of how many windmills, transmission lines or solar panels in banks or on homes and the batteries were destroyed and what the dollar costs to taxpayers will be to rebuild them. The same goes for their destruction in the north due to flooding! We know the costs to build this scam runs into the billions so how much more are the taxpayers on the hook for now.
310
For the Longwood fire at least there would be minimal “renewable” collateral damage. The Murrindindi Shire , which copped the bulk of the burn area, is thankfully free of infestation. We do have a solar plant proposed, which Sambar mentions and there is opposition to “renewable” related spider web of transmission lines being proposed to transit the region.
60
o/t
News reports that under Albanese’s new laws people applying for gun licences will be subject to ASIO background checks, and that includes their family and associates. Wow, just wow imagine how intrusive, costly and lengthy that could (will) become.
280
Agreed, but you might want to move that to the Wednesday thread.
50
I have a friend who is heavily involved in the local gun club and has had all sorts of guns for many years. His step daughter is studying here as an international student (such a rip off – but a story for another time) she also enjoys the gun club and it helps them bond their new family, she has applied for and just received her gun licence!
Australia already has the toughest gun laws in the world, it’s not the gun that has done the murdering it is the radical islamic terrorist who pulled the trigger.
380
Albo Akbar will do anything to deflect from acting on the real problem.
160
The real problem is that Communists hate the Jews and Israel since before Communism was invented, going back to the French Revolution. That hatred now includes the Australian Labor party.
What happened in Bondi was predictable and expected and promoted. So Albo Akbar has done his best to make sure the judge he appointed will not sheet the blame home to the Australian Labor Party and the Greens and uncontrolled mass migration of socially and aggressively incompatible people who hate Australia, democracy, Christianity and Jews. As she should. Who else in the world took 3,000 people from Gaza? No one, not even the Arab states.
I suppose I should not say these things. But they are transparently true. And the price we all will pay is unbelievable. The Jews are just the canaries in the cage. Sharia law is next.
120
Who funds so called “radical islamic terrorists” and deliberately creates the “fear” of Islam, hint: just as the US/genociders want to invade Iran? Same happened before they wanted to destroy Iraq.
21
It also keeps Canberra nice and cosy – they can’t hire for anything urgent for, I think, at least a decade now because the security clearances take so long – 12 months +. So with ASIO busy with gun families, more delays on vetting for any newbies that might challenge the system.
10
These extensions sound good but are not helping the pro-science, pro-rationalist cause.
The problem of all these extensions is that they’re just causing long drawn-out misery and continued high prices remain.
We need to let the Left proceed with their program of economic destruction and collapse and only then will the masses wake up and demand rational energy policy with electricity from coal, gas, nuclear and real hydro (not SH2).
Why prolong the misery?
Stop trying to have it both ways.
170
I must disagree David. Going along with destruction to teach the destroyers a lesson is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Far better to fool the zealots while reality gently persuades the world to come to its senses. Better to have the zealots think that the good ideas were really theirs.
After all nobody in their right mind would ever advocate for intermittent power when the iPhones of this world might go flat.
Just give me a while to come up with some better cliches. Softly, softly, catchee monkey?
110
There are some times when you need to shove the leftard’s insanity right down their throats and force them to follow through.
Completely destroying the economy and our way of life is not one of them.
60
Over a full year Wind only generates for about 2.9 months and Solar only 1.8 months. Look up the Aussie W & S CFs.
Over 10 years W = 29 months and S= 18 months of UNRELIABLE rubbish.
Over 20 years W = 58 months and S = 36 months and then the entire toxic disaster has to be replaced again and again until 2100.
When will they start to THINK and WAKE UP?
230
They think logically. They have worked out how to funnel virtually unlimited amounts of other people’s money to themselves and their mates. They are waking up to the fact that those other people are waking up, so they are already working on the next theft. They will never stop robbing you in any way they can. It’s what they do.
110
BTW Nuclear capacity factor is about 93%, but could be 100% with proper maintenance and last until 2100 at least.
Definitely much cheaper than TOXIC W & S and no increase required for the land to be built on.
And even dumb left wing loonies would like their electricity to be available 24/7/365 until 2100.
190
Nuclear submarines and massive aircraft carriers like the USS Ronald Reagan don’t require refueling for decades and are very safe and reliable.
So what’s the problem building safe, reliable Nuclear power stns to provide us with cheap, safe energy over the next 100 years?
190
It would be terrible if people were offered cheap and almost unlimited clean energy.
That is not allowed. Energy must be made an expensive and scarce luxury product that must be used very sparingly.
This is part of the agenda.
https://stevenalexanderyoung.substack.com/p/mass-hysteria-and-the-new-clear-conspiracy
170
‘ … with cheap, safe energy over the next 100 years?’
Point taken, coal is able to do that at a cheaper price.
The political hurdle for nuclear power is too high, but some brave soul might suggest a mini reactor out in the Never Never. A place without coal or gas and in dire need of an energy solution.
72
The Chinese are experimenting with powering existing coal power stations with steam derived from a new adjacent nuclear power station. An interesting approach.
100
When you are not restrained by dogma you have more options.
50
“The CEO of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Jacqui Mumford” seems to be completely unconcerned about the devastation of native forests and loss of wildlife to make way for long transmission lines, and clearing of ridgelines for windmills that deliver only a fraction of their nameplate capacity.
One might almost suspect that she doesn’t really care about conserving nature.
210
SMH have the same-
“Nothing draws the climate action battle lines quite like an announcement to extend the life of a dirty coal-fired power plant…And while keeping this dirty plant open longer isn’t great and does appear to be energy transition slippage, it’s better than the worst-case alternative… “The 43-year-old Eraring Power Station had more than 6000 hours (250 days) of planned and unplanned outages in 2024, which were a key driver of major power price spikes,” the Climate Council said.”
and the comments are just what you would expect-
“The only responsible managers of these old jalopies in the near future will be the National Trust or a similar historical body.
These intact sites will make good museums and interactive centres for future generations.”
“Coal power is expensive compared to cheaper renewables and drives climate change. Why would anyone want to pay more for dirty power when they can pay less for much cleaner energy.”
“The long term cost of burning coal is unacceptable. It is as simple as that. Even in the short term, the high cost of building new coal fired power stations means they are likely to deliver higher cost electricity than renewables. There is no future for coal as a means of producing electricity.”
“There is a reason no new coal power stations have been built. Coal power is not financially competitive.”
China just doesn’t exist for these people.
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/why-we-can-t-keep-delaying-the-closure-of-old-jalopy-power-stations-20260120-p5nvg7.html
210
These loonies are either liars or fools or both, take your pick.
190
Their cousins live here too: promoters of such fantasies as ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ hydrogen to save humanity from itself. Ooh look, there’s pixies at the bottom of my garden, must rush –
110
Point out that burning hydrogen means water vapour (a Green House Gas – actually the major one). Also suggest that burning hydrogen would mean lots of toxic nitrogen oxides.
70
Add hypocrites and answer D “All of the above”.
30
Just last year, 2025, Eraring Power Station delivered 15213GWH of reliable dispatchable energy to the NSW grid.
In the same year, EVERY wind plant attached to the same grid delivered 34581HWH of power to the overall AEMO grid, so just more than double the total of this single four Unit plant ….. from 91 Industrial Wind plants. (and around 3200 individual turbines)
HOWEVER the total nameplate for all wind is 13460MW, and the Nameplate for Eraring is just 2880MW, so those 91 wind plants have 4.68 TIMES the Nameplate of all that wind total Nameplate.
AND THEN, on top of that, Eraring has double the lifespan of ALL that wind.
Please don’t ever try to tell me that one coal fired power plant with four units costs more than 91 Industrial wind plants with 3200 turbines ….. and then multiply all that wind by TWO. (double the lifespan) And then add on the Infrastructure to get all that energy from those many wind plants to where it gets consumed.
Tony.
330
But there is no economic way to remove CO2 from combustion gasses so “renewables” produce the lowest cost for electrical energy consistent with government policy (for NetZero).
10
So we all know that Blackrock’s Larry Fink has trashed unreliable W & S and since then he’s been joined by Gates and many other tech billionaires who all want to invest in safe, reliable Nuclear or Gas to run their AI Data centres and businesses.
If these people know that toxic W & S are rubbish, then what’s the point in stupid countries like Australia not waking up to the W & S disasters?
IOW why do our stupid pollies want to WASTE tens of billions of $ and all for a guaranteed ZERO return on their lousy, insane investment?
110
I’m happy to be wrong but I am not sure Fink and Gates have trashed intermittent energy sources.
My impression is that they have simply noted that there are some applications where only inherently dispatchable power will do. Namely the ones they want to use in their next get rich quick schemes. You know, the get rich schemes which are more profitable for them than imposing intermittent energy on the masses.
It’s more like belling the cat.
70
Note the pretending in the words “Since the election, we have increased the amount of renewable energy capacity in operation by almost 70 per cent. That’s equivalent to Eraring’s capacity”
Intermittent energy sources CANNOT be equated to dispatchable energy sources. They are as different as night and day.
I think we have reached a pretence tipping point. Governments and other shysters are pretending. They know they are pretending. We know they are pretending. They know that we know they are pretending. And still they pretend.
Jo is right. If rational thinkers know what is good for us, we will just have to out-pretend the pretenders. Oh what a tangled web.
Now, where’s my copy of the Art of War.
110
A recent article in The Australian today (paywalled) expresses hope that the Eraring life extension may ease electricity prices. If this turns out to be true, then surely this must clearly indicate that renewable energy is cheaper than coal power is clearly a lie.
“The life of Australia’s largest coal fired power station Eraring has been extended, sending a clear signal that the Albanese government’s renewable energy and emissions targets are even less likely to be achieved, while leaving some hope that electricity prices rises will ease.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/renewable-energy-economy/origins-eraring-coal-life-extension-signals-failing-renewable-transition/news-story/58ccc59239df6cb0dcdadd92f1866535
And even the Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood now seems to agree that the government renewables is not on track: “Grattan Institute energy expert Tony Wood said the extension was clearly an indicator that the renewable rollout was not on track. “People are getting nervous,” he said… We are not on track for 2025 emissions reduction target and we are not building the transmission fast enough to meet the renewables system due to higher costs and regulation.”
50
You are making a skip to the right. The left skip is that there is not yet enough “renewable” energy available. Just 1000 or so more wind and solar farms and thousands of kilometres of transmission lines and Eraring can be closed down without increasing energy costs.
Everyone knows that “renewable” energy is free. More free energy into the system and surely the cost comes down.
80
True, but it’s interesting to note that coming up to midday in Perth on a hot day, the best home solar can do is only 45% of the required power. So gas and coal, along with a bit of wind, have to step in and help out to keep the air conditioning running. And of course tonight will be a hot night, so when the solar vanishes and the air conditioners are still going very hard, coal and gas, plus a bit of wind if it’s there, will have to do ALL the heavy lifting.
30
And sure enough, as the sun sets it’s still 35C outside, solar is vanishing, hardly any wind power, so gas and coal are stepping in to run all night, keeping the air conditioners running. There is 11% battery, but that will only be there for an hour or so. And it’s just been announced that the local coal mine is to be subsidised again to keep Bluewaters power station running. Didn’t know they were using local coal.
30
And what a happy day when the computer says yes.
I’ve got my mind right boss. Touch wood.
40
“downward pressure” is true economist speak. The upward pressure on prices will continue to be greater than their feeble downward pressure. Sp prices have to go up.
The only way to actually lower prices is to run existing coal plant flat out and build more. That would require eliminating the semi-scheduled category and bid on daily marginal cost rather than 5-minute. The current bidding is bonkers.
The issue for base load generators is now the minimum load. The NEM will be in serious strife if any more base load is lost. And that is guaranteed at present prices unless the government socialises these business as SA/Federal have done for Whyalla and Port Pirie.
If more base load is lost, one or more of the existing coal units will have to shut down and stay off line until base load increases in the lower sunlight months. The problem then is that more open cycle gas has to be used and it is around 10X the cost of coal.
I do not think the Greens realise that taxpayers are supporting these businesses.
Install solar panels and help bring on the grid collapse. The sooner the better.
80
“Downward pressure” A favourite phrase of the Victorian waste of space Energy Minister.
As someone here once said “my foot puts downward pressure on the footpath also. That doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere”
60
A ghost coal-fired plant with ghost-workers producing ghost-life support revenue for Albanese’s ICU of green energy schemes.
20
Question: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
1. Can large scale renewables, operating at a national level survive financially in open competition as promised?
2. Could a commercial renewable power generation operator (with all necessary clean renewable backup energy generation such as batteries or hydropower) provide ON-DEMAND BASE-LOAD electrical power with the same level of continuity of supply as provided by a coal fired generator while operating under the exact same financial conditions including subsidies as the coal fired generator?
3. How much of the ever-increasing national debt is being used to subsidise renewables? 🔥💰🔥💰🔥💰
30
Surely, every one on this blog should know by now that the climate change cult is a political construct.
10
Unintended political construct which we have to unravel and I blame the MSM for creating this cult.
31
It’s a bit late.
The CAGW ‘construct’ is collapsing, however the cult has expanded into identity politics.
Oddly dependent on and fueled by the arrival and construction of an Orange devil to replace the carbon dragon.
The evolution of Congressional districting here in the US has unfortunately created a situation where Blue states will eliminate all possibility of Republican opposition.
The result will be massive Midterm losses for any but Democrats.
For the future, see Virginia.
(Note, the republicans can hardly produce potential candidates much less get them across the finish line. This is due to to class nature of MAGA populism. Most MAGA supporters, a national majority, have no access or awareness of the path to political office.)
Of course, establishment Republicans have helped this happen because Orange Man bad.
In a year or so, the Impeachment clown car will return to the center ring of the circus, old Free World ideals for which many saw Trump as the defender will be gone.
They will allow to us continue to bloviate about the ridiculousness of climate ‘science’ because climate ‘science’ has served its’ true purpose.
Most other subjects will be controlled, and the list of what is off limits will not be availiable to the public.
20
I’ll see if this gets through.
Prior to the Enlightenment, pretending was the order of the day.
The Enlightenment has ended.
We’re back to pretending.
And questioning “The Science” is heresy.
Ironic, since Science was built out of questions.
(Now the word requires an initial capital letter.)
Stuff keeps feeling more Biblical.
20
COAL IS KING!
10