The Greens have called on both the Federal and State governments to immediately start consulting with the Collie community to prepare for the retirement of a Collie coal fired power station.
The move comes after the recommendations of the Senate inquiry to phase out coal in the state based electricity review to remove 380 megawatts of power from the grid.
After a meeting with the community, local stakeholders and the Collie shire council, the Greens have called on the WA and Federal Governments to prepare a plan to present to the COAG energy council as a matter of urgency to detail in writing their commitment to the people of Collie.
Greens Senator for WA Scott Ludlam said the community were concerned about the uncertainty of Collie’s energy future.
“Many Collie workers are living on tenterhooks wondering if and when the State Government is going to take 380MW of energy out of the grid in line with last year’s electricity review and close down a power station,” he said.
“We heard many stories from Collie families and community leaders who have accepted that coal will be phased out of the town, but were worried there was no plan to help them upskill or transition to a renewable energy power house.
“The Greens Energy 2030 plan recommends establishing a new State Government Authority called Renew Western Australia to drive this transition to ensure Collie is supported into this inevitable transition out of coal and into renewables.”
Senator Ludlam said the new body would work with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australia Renewable Energy Fund and would deliver projects and funding worth $500million per year.
WA Energy Minister Ben Wyatt said the State Government want to work with the Collie community to ensure a stable economic future.
“The State Government remains committed to working with industry and the local Collie community to create economic diversity in the region and support growth of the jobs of the future,” he said.
“There is a need for a balanced mix of energy generation sources and the State is working with industry to develop and grow WA’s renewable footprint however the transition needs to be undertaken responsibly and in the interim thermal generation remains an important source.”
