Victoria determined to close down dirty Hazelwood coal power station
Greens MP Greg Barber said new climate change laws allowed the government to legislate Hazelwood out of existence without compensation being due.
Dirty coal station ‘will be closed’, Sydney Morning Herald, Richard Willingham, October 14, 2010 PREMIER John Brumby is ”completely confident” Australia’s dirtiest power station will be closed, with or without federal help.
……The commitment to close one-quarter of the coal power plant, in the Latrobe Valley, by 2014 is crucial to the government’s legislated target of cutting emissions by at least 20 per cent by 2020.
”I want to make it very clear that this is vital action, which is needed for Victoria to get this staged closure and one way or another we will get this staged closure,” Mr Brumby said.
”We would prefer to work with the federal government, but if we are not able to reach agreement with them we will achieve this on our own.”
Mr Brumby said the action was important for Victoria because it would create investor certainty and help generate new gas and renewable energy projects. ”It’s important to close down Hazelwood because it is the dirtiest, most polluting power station in Australia,” he said…….
The Victorian opposition has backed the government’s 20 per cent reduction target on greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Greens MP Greg Barber said new climate change laws allowed the government to legislate Hazelwood out of existence without compensation being due.
Last month the Greens said the Environment Protection Authority should use beefed-up regulatory powers to force coal-fired power stations to shut without compensation.
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