The Federal Government wants to extend the life of existing coal power plants including the Lidell Power Station in the Hunter.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told Federal Parliament yesterday they were in talks with AGL to extend the life of the power station beyond its 2022 closure date, but AGL say they're committed to closing it.
There are reports Liddell might be sold off to another company who will keep the power station open until at least 2027.
AGL's CEO Andy Vasey tweeted overnight in response to the Prime Minister's claims in parliament, saying he and the company are committed to closing Liddell and walking away from coal fired pwoer generation.
.@TonyAbbottMHR We're getting out of coal. We committed to the closure of the Liddell power station in 2022, the end of its operating life.— Andy Vesey (@AndyVesey_AGL) September 5, 2017
But Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon says the Prime Minister is misleading the Hunter community in saying the power station could stay open in the future, when it really isn't the case.
"I think he's perpetrating a cruel hope for Hunter's communities, and AGL has made it clear that they have no interest in expanding the plant which is a shame No one would welcome it more than me. But I just don't see it happening."
A report is warning an extra 1,000 mega watts of electricity will be needed this summer to meet the electricity needs and amid fears of lengthy blackouts in Victoria and South Australia.
"Malcolm Turnbull has perpetrated a cruel hope on both the Hunter's community and certainly the nation. He's suddenly talking about Liddell but he could've been doing that three or four years ago. And of course at 3pm he said one thing and by 7pm last night he was saying something else," said Joel Fitzgibbon.
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