The ageing Vales Point coal-fired power station on the New South Wales Central Coast, due to close in 2029, was given a stay of execution in the federal budget. Vales Point was commissioned in 1978, and its two turbines generate 1,320 megawatts of electricity, accounting for 11 percent of NSW's energy. In its home market, it runs two coal power generators and two combined heat and power plants. [citation needed], In November 2015, the Government of New South Wales sold Delta Electricity, which at that time owned only the Vales Point Power Station, to Sunset Power International for $1 million. In public comments this week, the current owner of Vales Point, Trevor St Baker, indicated that Sev.en may seek to keep the station open beyond its current closure date of 2029, saying the. Vales Point Power Station February 17, 2022 Delta Energy's plans for Vales Point power station at Mannering Park will go unchanged despite the announcement by Origin Energy on February 17 that it will close Eraring - Australia's largest power station - seven years early. On the international front the Morrison government has committed $70 million to help develop a regional hydrogen export hub, and Australia has signed agreements with Japan, Korea, Germany and Singapore to investigate hydrogen supply chains. @ Copyright RenewEconomy 2020. We know that the emissions meet the National Environment Protection Measures for NOx, but weve got the environment groups position. Energy analysts said the renewables-led collapse in average prices across the nations electricity grid was so severe that the 1480-megawatt facility supplying up to 22 per cent of the states power could close even sooner than expected. Federal Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said last month that the industrys potential cannot be ignored and argued that Australia can attract $70 billion of investments over the next decade. NOx emissions can harm peoples health, contribute to respiratory illnesses and can cause asthma in children and the elderly. A failure to act is no longer an option, Mr Chappel said. AGL Energy announced it would move the. Coal plant closures loom large as NSW backs hydrogen for the Hunter. The expectation has been that the power station would close in 2029 and the clean-up could begin., Vales Point on southern Lake Macquarie stayed in government hands until 2015, when the Coalition state government controversially sold it to energy entrepreneurs Trevor St Baker and Brian Flannery for $1 million., 167 Parry Street,Hamilton East, NSW, 2303, AboutCampaigningResearch & ReportsSubmissionsVolunteerHCEC NewsMedia ReleasesEventsContact UsCommittee Records, Barrington - Hawkesbury Climate Corridors Alliance, Water pollution Datawatch: NSW power stations. The black coal operators run at a much higher short-run marginal cost and so those nearing the end of their technical lives may be re-evaluating their closure dates, Mr Allen said. It has two steam turbines, with a total generating capacity of 1,320 MW (1,770,000 hp) of electricity . Environment Justice Australia and the Nature Conservation Council have questioned whether the renewal of a licence granting the plant operators exemptions from some pollution standards for nitrogen oxide is valid because, they say, Delta applied for the renewal after the deadline. "Hundreds of thousands of people living near Australia's largest power station do not know what they are breathing," the report states. The Vales Point Power Plant is currently set for closure in 2029, but the EPA ruling delivered on 28 October 2022 could bring that date forward to 2025. Environment groups question whether ageing stations exemptions from some pollution standards are valid. Every time an old coal-fired power stations closes to be replaced by renewable energy, theres an immediate health benefit to communities within 100 kilometres of the facility, Dr Ewald said. A longstanding advocate of the need for round-the-clock dispatchable coal power, Mr St Baker said his decision to sell was more to do with wanting to redirect capital into his interests in electric vehicle charging than in any diminished conviction about the continuing need for coal-fired power as the transition to low-carbon power progresses. Publicly owned until 2015 when sold to Sunset International Power for $1 million, the deal capped the new owners site rehabilitation costs to just $10M. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The proposed plant would adjoin the existing 1320 MW Vales Point power station owned by Delta Electricity. Vales point already has an exemption licence to pollute over and above NSW emission controls. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning. Environmental Justice Australia director of advocacy and research, Nicola Rivers, said it was gob-smackingthe Australian Government would look to Mr St Baker as they seek energy solutions for the future, particularly given his companies rejection of infrastructure to limit pollution from existing power stations. Delta Energys plans for Vales Point power station at Mannering Park will go unchanged despite the announcement by Origin Energy on February 17 that it will close Eraring Australias largest power station seven years early. The turbines were removed in 1997; the boilers and buildings were demolished between 201114. Read more:The power station offloaded by the NSW Government for $1 million suddenly has a future. Future Sooner, local residents and health professionals are deeply concerned if this sale goes ahead it will extend the life of this filthy, old, polluting coal-fired power station and prolong the damage that is already affecting our health, said Gary Blaschke OAM, resident of Lake Munmorah, cancer sufferer and Future Sooner spokesperson. The region has significantly higher than national rates of six cancers: Colorectal (14% higher), Head & Neck (26%), Kidney (23%), Liver (26%), Lung (28%) and Pancreatic (17%). "We predict that gas power station output will fall by 78 per cent and coal output . Wholesale power prices are meanwhile several times higher than the $40-$45 megawatt-hour range that prevailed when he and billionaire partner Mr Flannery bought the generator. Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. For more detailed local information see the Lake Macquarie Hunter Recreational Fishing Guide Back to top No need to search elsewhere for all the latest updates on the electricity market and energy-efficiency tips that are important for you, the savvy business owner. Coal transport and infrastructure in Australia, Key developments in coal mining and power in Australia in 2012, Financing coal power stations in Australia, Underwriting New Generation Investments program, "Delivering affordable and reliable power", "Federal government shortlists upgrade of Vales Point power station turbine", https://www.gem.wiki/w/index.php?title=Vales_Point_A_power_station_(replacement)&oldid=241402, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Goldman Sachs said Vales Point, backed by energy mogul Trevor St Baker, was facing closure potential. NSW EPA Chief Tony Chappel said the exemption, coupled with the requirement to cut emissions strikes the right balance between safeguarding environmental health and supporting NSWs need for reliable and affordable energy. Delta has been contacted for further comment. fair dinkum" baseload power generation after the Federal Government lost a public battle with generator AGL over the closure of Liddell power station in 2022. One is electrolysis that uses electricity to split water, which can be powered by renewables in an emissions-free process and is known as green hydrogen. We will not spam you or sell your details. At home, the National Energy Resources Australia is offering $1.7 million in seed funding for hydrogen business to set up industry hubs, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation has a $300 million fund for hydrogen projects - including those powered by fossil fuels, and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency has $70 million available for green hydrogen projects. But Tom Allen, director of Australian energy and utilities research with UBS, said the markets focus would be on the long-term viability of black coal-fired generators in NSW, particularly amid the NSW governments plan to ramp up renewable energy investment, which will place prices under further pressure. Phone: 02 4352 6111 Its a two years exemption, then we can apply for another period of time. The Vales Point power station has been operating on the shores of Lake Macquarie since the 1960's and was constructed before NSW environmental protection laws came into effect. On Tuesday Kean said he was still expecting the plant to close by 2029, saying the state had plans in place to ensure that the capacity of Vales Point is replaced by that time. 15% of Wyong and 11% of Gosford population suffer from 3 or more chronic health conditions including asthma, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, compared to 5% or less across Sydney. the practices of Delta Electricity, past and present that are driving a range of water pollution impacts in Lake Macquarie, the sale of the power station to Se.ven Global Investments, Closure planning, decontamination and rehabilitation. These fossil fuel power stations burn coal to power steam turbines that generate some or all of the electricity they produce. Vales Point uses salt water from Lake Macquarie for cooling. The future of NSWs coal-fired power plants is under increasing threat from cheap renewable energy, which this week forced Victorias Yallourn coal plant to bring forward its closure date as analysts warn the end may come even sooner. But it also represents a significant expansion of Sev.en in Australias coal power sector beyond its interest in Queenslands InterGen, with the suggestion that further investments in the domestic energy sector may be on the cards. DPE is currently assessing an application by Delta to consolidate and expand its Chain Valley and Mannering collieries. Kean confirmed exemptions granted to Delta during the purchase including a cap of $10m on rehabilitation likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars would remain in place despite the sale. In order to supply coal to the station, three mines were opened; Chain Valley Colliery, Newvale No.1 Colliery and Wyee State Mine. . The REZ will not only attract investment in clean energy, it will also underpin the growth of new low-carbon industries such as green hydrogen, ammonia and metals production which the world is going to need as it decarbonises, Mr Crouch said. The EPA ruling has fuelled concerns that NSW may face an energy supply crunch in the coming years as coal swiftly exits the market. A spokesperson for Delta Energy said there were no plans for Vales Point to go the same way as Eraring. It listed Eraring, Vales Point and Mt Piper in NSW and Yallourn in Victoria as most vulnerable. Level 7 Origin Energys 2000 MW Liddell plant will close in early 2023. The Nature Conservation Council of NSW said that, unlike previous exemptions, this one cannot be extended beyond October 2027. While Delta secretary Steve Gurney said the sale of Vales Point was a completely unrelated commercial matter to the emissions issue, Nature Conservation Council chief executive, Jacqui Mumford, said the new owners should be required to slash the stations pollution so that people across NSW can breathe healthier air. The only way to educate irresponsible people is to hit them in the pocket, Central Coast Council will amend planning controls to make way for a five-storey development on six consolidated parcels of land at 43-46 The Esplanade, Ettalong Beach, despite receiving 95 submissions, Parking at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals will be free for patients, staff and visitors if either the Labor party or the sitting Liberal-National parties are elected to Govern on March, Copyright Coast Community News 2022 - Phone 4325 7369, Free hospital parking says Labor, Libs and Nats post election, Umina Beach singer eliminated from Australian Idol, Mariners appoint A-League Womens head coach Emily Husband, Council amends planning controls to make way for five-storey development at Ettalong, Labor puts people with disability at core of its agenda, Councils development application blowout woes, Council set to sell commuter/shopper carparks at Woy Woy, on "Eraring closure has no impact on future of Vales Point", Little being done to protect health of northern residents, Council slated for misleading statements over boarding house, Major parties outline plans to take the region into the future, Detached houses decline in favour of multi-unit abodes, Government funding for new cabins at two holiday parks, Review of health care services at Long Jetty centre, The go-to guide for community services across the Coast, Special exhibition brightens hospital corridors. Vales Point A (replacement) power station is a proposal by Delta Electricity to build a new 660 MW plant on the site of the demolished Vales Point A plant in New South Wales, Australia. Coal supplies NSW with an average of 63 percent of its energy requirements, while the National Energy Market average is 59 percent. The NSW EPA noted that environment department modelling found that ground-level concentration of NOx in the community meets national health standards. NSW taxpayers might have to pay some remediation costs associated with the closure of Origin Energy's Eraring coal-fired power station when it shuts down in 2025. When there are renewable energy alternatives available, like the Star of the South project, that will generate clean energy and create local jobs, there is no excuse for building more, big polluting coal projects that pollute our air and make our communities sick, Ms Rivers said. Recent state government announcements in Queensland and Victoria look to cut coal generation out of the energy mix as soon as possible. To disable your cookies, please click on Settings. The Hunter Hydrogen Hub will drive new low carbon jobs and help to set up the regionfor the future, Mr Kean will say. . Vales Point Power Station is one of two operating coal fired power stations on the shores of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. We continue to invest in the reliability of Vales Point to its notional closure in 2029. Vales Point is located on the southern shore of the lake, near the township of Mannering Park. Mr St Baker, who bought Vales Point power station from the NSW Government for a song in 2015 and made $113 million in profit on the deal in 2017-18, has outlined plans for a new plant at Liddell or Vales Point as part of a $6 billion proposal for three coal-fired power stations in NSW and Victoria.

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