{"id":34865,"date":"2016-11-03T19:13:39","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T08:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=34865"},"modified":"2019-04-16T13:31:10","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T03:31:10","slug":"climate-win-hazelwood-closing-end-of-march-2017-reports-takvera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/climate-win-hazelwood-closing-end-of-march-2017-reports-takvera\/","title":{"rendered":"#Climate win: #Hazelwood closing end of March 2017 reports @takvera"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Climate

Climate Action Moreland members campaigning for Hazelwood closure<\/p><\/div>\nRepublished from Climate Action Moreland<\/a>: The official announcement of Hazelwood’s future has been made by French company Engie on the eve of the Paris Agreement coming into force and the start of the UN climate conference COP22: Hazelwood will close by end of March 2017. <\/p>\n

Hazelwood is Australia’s, indeed the industrial world’s, most polluting power station. <\/p>\n

We should celebrate this as a definite climate win. Climate Action Moreland, along with many other community groups, have been campaigning for closure of Hazelwood with a just transition for the workers and community since 2009. <\/p>\n

In comes after rumours over the closure<\/a> for several months, and Josh Frydenberg meeting representatives of Engie<\/a> and the French Minister of the Environment Segolene Royal recently in Paris.<\/p>\n

Now we need a co-ordinated state and national plan to manage the energy transition to ensure just outcomes for workers and communities. There are more jobs in total in renewables, but they are unlikely to be in the same places as existing coal dependant communities. So we need to assist communities in this transition.<\/p>\n

\u201cHazelwood is now more than 50 years old. It has been a wonderful contributor to the National Electricity Market but we have now reached the point where it is no longer economic to operate,\u201d said Mr Keisser, Chief Executive of ENGIE in Australia, in a statement<\/a> (PDF).<\/p>\n

The closure will directly impact about 450 direct employees and 300 contractors at the plant and mine. The company estimates up to 250 people will be required between 2017 and 2023 to manage rehabilitation and decommissioning of the mine and power station, although numbers in site rehabilitation from 2019 will depend upon the scope of the rehabilitation work required.<\/p>\n

The company undertook to work with regulators, unions and the broader Latrobe Valley communities “to ensure an orderly closure, including rehabilitation of the mine and remediation of the power station site.\u201d<\/p>\n

ACF\u2019s CEO Kelly O\u2019Shanassy said in a statement<\/a> \u201cHazelwood is 50 years old and pumps out more than 15\u00a0million tonnes of climate pollution each year, making that one power plant responsible for nearly 15 per cent of Victoria\u2019s and 3 per cent of Australia\u2019s total climate pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a key moment in a transition that is already well underway \u2013 the switch from dirty energy to clean energy \u2013 and Australia\u2019s energy policy is now at a fork in the road.”<\/p>\n

A recent report by ACF and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Jobs in a clean energy future<\/a><\/em>, showed that enduring, credible policies on climate change and energy would create one million new Australian jobs by 2040.<\/p>\n

Household electricity costs of the closure have been modelled to be less than $1 a week.<\/p>\n

350.org Campaigns Director, Charlie Wood said in a statement<\/a> \u201cMore than anything, today\u2019s decision highlights the need for a nation plan for coal closure. We know that to meet our Paris Commitments, Australia\u2019s coal power stations need to be phased out over the next decade. This must be done in a way that allows local communities to plan for the future.”<\/p>\n

Environment Victoria CEO Mark Wakeham welcomed the announcement and said in a statement<\/a>: \u201cRehabilitation of the Hazelwood mine and power station needs to happen to a very high standard to minimise future environmental risks and ensure that the land becomes a community asset. Done well, rehabilitation can deliver strong environmental and social outcomes for the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that in coming days the state and federal governments commit significant resources to develop new industries in the Latrobe Valley over the next decade. With the right support the Latrobe Valley can be a leader in new industries like energy efficiency and storage and solar hot water manufacturing, creating hundreds of new jobs.\u201d said Wakeham.<\/p>\n

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Our thoughts are with the Latrobe Valley community today. Planning for a #justtransition<\/a> beyond coal must be top priority. #auspol<\/a> #springst<\/a><\/p>\n

— Climate Guardians (@ClimateGuardia) November 3, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n