After pushing for the life of AGL's Liddell power station to be extended by 10 years, the Turnbull Government now seems to have turned its back on the proposition.
The potential extension of the Muswellbrook power station to 2032 was earmarked to cost around $900 million but is now off the table.
In a major energy speech on Monday by Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, there was no mention of the power station's extension, all but confirming it is no longer on the agenda for the government.
In the speech, Frydenberg looked instead to AGL's cleaner energy investment plan as the right way forward in energy policy.
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| Liddell Power Station Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8877002-3x2-700x467.jpg |
Federal Member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, who Frydenberg referred to as "No Coal Joel" in a recent Parliament House spat, is disappointed in the way the Prime Minister has gone about this issue.
"What Malcolm Turnbull did was raise false hope, he wanted people to believe he can extend Liddell to get him through the next election campaign.
"He's been caught out, thank goodness I think he's now getting out of the way and letting us work with AGL to create the jobs of the future," Fitzgibbon said.
The move away from the extension may signal a shift in electricity regeneration in the area as well as nationwide.
