Federal MPs Slam Origin Over Myuna Deal

 BY OLI GOLEDNER

Hunter MP Dan Repacholi is slamming Origin Energy for their "lowball" contract offer to Myuna Colliery. 

The coal mine has been supplying exclusively to Eraring Power Station for more than 40 years. 

But, a lapse in contract will likely see the facility shut its doors in March. 

Origin Energy, the owner of Eraring Power Station, proposed a new 12 month extension of the mines operations, maintaining their current agreements. 

However, Myuna owner Centennial Coal refused the deal, stating it was not commercially viable as the mine is already running at a loss. 

The contract also provided little to no certainty to the mine's more than 300 employees, according to the Mining and Energy Union. 

Hunter MP Dan Repacholi has since voiced his support of Centennial Coal and the union's decision. 

"Origin's offer... was disgraceful," he said.

"It was a spin, not a solution.

"A short-term, take-it-or-leave-it proposal that provides no certainty for workers, their families or the local community is not good enough." 

It comes after Origin announced operations at Eraring would continue until 2029, instead of it's initial closing date in 2027. 

Mr Repacholi said it's not viable to have the power station running without the mine. 

"Myuna was built to supply Eraring, there is no alternative market," he explained. 

"If Origin walks away, this mine closes and that is a deliberate commercial choice, not an unavoidable part of the energy transition.

"The Hunter deserves better than corporate spin." 

Mining and Energy Union Northern Mining & NSW Energy District President Robin Williams. 

Fresh Doubts Cast Over Need To Keep Eraring Power Station Open

 BY IAN CROUCH

A new report by the Clean Energy Finance organisation is casting doubt on the likelihood of power shortages if the Eraring Power Station at Lake Macquarie closes.

The organisation says the state can avoid forking out hundreds of millions of dollars to keep the power station open beyond the middle of next year because there's been a surge in clean energy projects in the past six months.

It says the new battery and clean energy capacity created during this time is more than enough to offset the more than 2,800 megawatts of power generated by Eraring. 

It comes as discussions are continuing with owner, Origin Energy about keeping the power station open beyond 2025.

The Eraring Power Station is slated to close in 2025

Origin Gives Final Green Light for Eraring Battery

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Origin Energy Limited has approved the construction of a large-scale battery at the Eraring Power Station.

The energy giant has committed to an investment of $600 million for the project. 

The 460 MW Battery will have a dispatch time of two hours, and is set to come online in late 2025.  

There's also an option to increase the battery to 700 MW and a four hour dispatch in the future.

The project received initial planning approval from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in May 2022. 

Construction work is set to begin within a matter of weeks. 

Lake Mac Council Rejects Nuclear Power Plant Proposal

BY OLIVIA DILLON

Lake Macquarie City Council have voted against a motion to host a nuclear power plant at the former Eraring Power Station. 

The motion asked councillors to repeal a long-standing ban on nuclear power stations, and consider building one on the Lake's shore. 

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act ban the approval, licensing, construction or operation of any nuclear fuel fabrication plant, a nuclear power plan, enrichment plant or reprocessing facility in Australia. 

However, North Ward Councillor Colin Grigg, who brought the motion to council, believes nuclear power is a clean, sustainable solution to the region's power problems. 

"I believe we need to take a look at nuclear because as it stands right now, renewables are not sufficient to meet the demand and I think we need to have reliable base load power," Cr Grigg said. 

However, council was not persuaded, and voted 12 to 1 against the motion at last night's meeting, citing issues surrounding the storage of nuclear waste, and the station's environmental impact on the area. 

In response, Cr Grigg said council needs to "take of the shades" and continue the discussion about what to do next.

"I'm disappointed that councillors missed the opportunity to read the facts sheet that I sent to them all. They were quoting from understandings from before like Chernobyl and I think that's the problem; the community has basically been scared off nuclear and all I'm saying is we need to, with fresh eyes, take a look at nuclear," he said. 

He also said placing the plant at Earing was just a suggestion, and he'd be happy to see a facility placed elsewhere. 

"There's 45 countries in the world that are using nuclear power. There's 450 nuclear power stations in the world; American has 100 and is building more, and France has over 50 and is building more. I think that we're lagging behind on this. If there's an alternative that could provide reliable base load power, I'm happy for it, but at the moment there's nothing else."  

Image: CSIRO

BREAKING: Site Announced For New Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre

BY EL FITCHETT

The southern end of Lake Eraring has been selected as the location for a new Sport and Recreation Centre at Myuna Bay.

Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper announced the decision at a press conference held at the lake end of Payten Street in Eraring this morning.

The original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre was closed unexpectedly in March 2019 following a safety report from Origin Energy warning the nearby Eraring Power Station ash dam posed a risk to those using the site.

"The former Sport and Rec Centre was in a flow path under some scenarios for liquefied ash to cross over and inundate large parts of the site. But the new site is well and truly remote from any risk from power station activities, certainly the entire village of Eraring is safe from any such risk as well," Greg Piper said.

Roughly a kilometre from the former Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre, the new site is situated on property owned by Origin Energy, with the construction funded by the company.

"Once construction is complete it will transferred to the State," Greg Piper said. 

The Office of Sport will be given a 99-year lease on the new site and will retain ownership of the original Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre.

The chosen site will allow a larger facility to be built, and will be the first new sport and recreation center built in New South Wales for 40 years.

"The evaluation of this site has been going on for quite some time. It ticks nearly all the boxes," Greg Piper said.

It's hoped the new facility will draw the Hunter's water sporting community back to the area for kayaking, canoeing, and stand up paddle boarding. Opportunities for water skiing and other activities are also being considered.

"It certainly won't just be what was at the original Sport and Rec Centre. I'm very keen to see water skiing accommodated at the site. We are looking at how that can be done, perhaps using the same waterway skiers used in the past," Greg Piper said.

"There will be community engagement with existing and historic user groups, and perhaps new ones that will come along. But I think this is an exciting opportunity for sport and rec centres in New South Wales," Greg Piper said.

"While Office of Sport is looking at what sports will be included, they will be simultaneously consulting with neighbors in the area to make sure they minimize any impact on them, if there is any impact at all."

"The consultation with the local community has to be genuine."

How many jobs will be guaranteed at the new centre, for those who were employed at the former centre is still unclear.

Staff were ensured they would be given priority re-employment when the new centre is opened.

"There will likely be more details on this when they start seeing the scale of what can do and what they can provide there," Greg Piper said.

Acting Sport Minister Geoff Lee and Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper address residents and stakeholders December 2019. Image: James Forgacs/2NURFM

Local MP's Calling for the Hunter to be Left Out of Nuclear Power Plans

BY ISABEL EVERETT

Local MP'S are calling for the Hunter to be left out of nuclear energy plans, following the recent appointment of Keith Pitt as the Resources and Water Minister.

Both Shortland MP, Pat Conroy and Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon have expressed concern following the Ministers appointment, over the Hunter's role in the Federal Governments potential nuclear power plans.

"He (Keith Pitt) is on the record for being a very strong advocate for establishing a nuclear power industry in Australia," Pat Conroy said.

Mr Pitt recently encouraged a parliamentary inquiry into nuclear power. 

The Local MP'S are calling on Scott Morrison to reveal any nuclear power plans the Federal Government has and to let locals know whether the Hunter and Central Coast will be part of a nuclear future. 

Over the past 50 years, there have been 95 proposals for nuclear power stations in Australia and 42 different sites identified as possible locations for waste dumps.

"Every government study on where nuclear power plants would be placed has identified Lake Macquarie and the Hunter as ideal locations for those power stations," Pat Conroy said. 

Potential nuclear power station sites have included Glenbawn Dam, Bayswater and Liddell power stations, Cessnock, Port Stephens, Newcastle, Eraring, Vales Point and Lake Munmorah power stations.

Sites for waste dumps have included Denman, Singleton and Broke.

"It very likely that we would see a power station in our community if a nuclear power program is to go ahead, that's why I'm asking people to contact their local MP's, to contact the media, to contact the Government and say there's no way," Pat Conroy said.

Nuclear power is known to emit relatively low levels of of pollution, however the costs are known to be high.

Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon, says Mr Pitt's promotion was a 'deeply concerning appointment' and that any pursuit of nuclear power would be 'madness'.

"On any measure - be it cost, timing, energy needs, waste, environmental & health risks, and non-proliferation - nuclear power is found to be wanting," Sharon Claydon says.

"Even if we manage to sort out all of the profound issues with nuclear power, we're still left with the unavoidable reality that it's more expensive than renewables."

Pat Conroy says it would almost double the cost of electricity in Australia and says a large majority of his local constituents have been strongly opposed to the idea of a nuclear power station in the Hunter.

"Overwhelming opposition to it, firstly from an 'I don't want this anywhere near where I live' concern, and secondly it would take ten years to build a power station, and the urgent need to combat climate change means that's way too long."

                                                   Image Credit: The University of Minnesota

Legal Challenge to NSW Pollution Licences

BY ALICE PEART

The NSW Nature Conservation Council are mounting a legal challenge against the state government over their recent renewal of pollution licences for three coal-fired power stations, two of which are located in Hunter at Vale Point and Eraring.

Pollution licences were initially issued across the state in the 1970s and '80s when the stations were built, with renewals required every five years by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

The NSW Nature Conservation Council however is claiming the licences do not meet the legal standards by failing to review best practice in pollution reduction.

Technologies such as Flue-gas are already in use across the US, Europe and Asia and can reduce pollution up to 99 per cent.

The Conservation Council said the stakes are high with 279 deaths attributable to air pollution each year from the stations in NSW alone.

They've said 160,000 tonnes of toxic air pollution is produced by the stations every year, including heavy metals (lead, arsenic and mercury), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and PM fine particles.

PM fine particles on their own are well documented to cause lung cancer, respiratory illness, heart attack and stroke according to the World Health Organisation.

The environmental advocacy group say they are awaiting a response to their court summons from the EPA.