Transition is coming: Stanwell
21 April 2021
Energy transition is coming: Stanwell
Brisbane - Queensland Conservation Council welcomes today’s announcement by the CEO of Stanwell Corporation of their plan to transition from coal fired power to renewables.
“Queensland’s Energy Minister Mick de Brenni needs to match the leadership shown by Stanwell today with a clear transition timeline”, said Queensland Conservation Council’s (QCC) Director, Dave Copeman. “We can’t meet our emissions reduction targets unless we replace all 8 Queensland coal fired power stations by 2030, including the 6 owned by the state government.”
Stanwell CEO Richard Van Breda’s commitment at the “Future Energy Summit” in Gladstone to “bring governments, unions, workers and communities together to plan for the transition” is an act of much needed leadership from the Government-owned generator.
“Coal-fired power stations are no longer fit for purpose in the modern energy market. They are increasingly expensive to maintain due to the need to ramp up and down, and face the prospect of losing the taxpayers money in upcoming budgets as cheaper renewable energy comes online” says Copeman.
This is acknowledged by Van Breda’s statement that Stanwell will “operate our coal-fired power stations much more flexibly, in response to market requirements. This may include seasonal storage of our generating units, or placing units into standby mode so they can be quickly returned if the market needs them.”
"We have a destination, now we need the plan" says Copeman. “Queenslanders need to know when and how the replacement of coal will occur and that it will happen in a way that supports communities and creates new, clean jobs. Putting coal units in storage because of their short term costs needs to be a step towards their inevitable replacement by renewables.”
“A clear timeline for unit and power station closure would provide certainty for new renewable generation and storage investment, unlocking Government and private sector finance to create thousands of jobs and help secure the clean industries of the future” says Copeman.
“This is an urgent challenge that requires leadership from the state government and Energy Minister. Clean, renewable energy is here, and ready to go now. It's ready to power industries and communities. But it needs decision makers to step up and close and replace coal fired power stations with renewables.”