Australia has closed its oldest coal-fired power plant, Liddell, as part of its shift towards renewable energy. The three-hour drive north of Sydney facility, built in 1971, provided around 10% of New South Wales' electricity. Liddell's owner, AGL, expects it to take two years to demolish the site, freeing it up for clean energy projects.
More than 90% of the materials in the power station will be recycled, including 70,000 tonnes of steel, according to the company. Fossil fuel companies in Australia are increasingly choosing to shut down old coal plants due to the growing pressure to address climate change. The Labor Party pledged that 82% of the country's electricity would come from renewable sources by 2030.
However, the country has a long way to go before reaching its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. The Australian economy is still fuelled by exports of coal and gas, and dozens of new coal mines, oil fields, and gas projects are in the government planning pipelines. “In terms of still developing gas and coal mines for export, we are a terrible laggard,” said Mark Diesendorf, a renewable energy expert at the University of New South Wales.
Despite the challenges, the Australian Energy Market Operator's report indicated that record levels of renewable electricity, mostly solar power, are driving down both emissions and household power prices. “Drenched in sunshine and blessed with sparsely-populated windswept coasts, Australia has the natural ingredients to be a renewable energy superpower,” said climate finance expert Tim Buckley.
While the country is heading in the right direction, it still has a long way to go. The chance of everything going smoothly between now and 2030 is close to zero, added Buckley. “We are talking about projects that haven't been attempted in Australia for decades, where labor shortages are real and engineering problems are to be expected.” Nonetheless, the shift towards renewable energy represents a significant step for Australia as it moves away from being a climate straggler.
