Barnaby Joyce admits Coalition mistakes on energy, slams Labor’s ‘wrecking’ of energy grid after blackout warning report
Barnaby Joyce has admitted the Coalition’s prior failure to address ageing coal-fired power plants was a “mistake”, after a new report that warned the closure of a major NSW plant could risk blackouts.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has advised infrastructure needed to stabilise the energy grid will not be installed in time for the enormous Eraring coal power plant’s scheduled closure in 2027.
The “lack of system security” means NSW could be at risk of blackouts if the plant is shut down before the grid is stabilised, according to the report.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Grilled by Sunrise host Nat Barr on the previous Coalition government’s lack of action on ageing coal plants, Mr Joyce – who has three times served as deputy prime minister – acknowledged a “mistake” had been made.
While defending coal power as the “cheapest” form of energy, Mr Joyce was asked why the Coalition hadn’t built new coal plants during their time in government.
“Well, we should have,” he said.
“That was a mistake, wasn’t it? We should be building new coal fired power stations.
“I can say that now.”
He went on to claim Labor’s energy policy was “wrecking the grid”.
“What’s happening, in a technical term, is they’ve got a car that worked perfectly well, which is the energy car,” Mr Joyce said.
“And they randomly opened up the bonnet and started taking out parts and putting new parts in, thinking it was going to go and guess what? It doesn’t.”
His fiery attack on Labor came after Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek was also grilled on the market operator’s blackout warning.
“Well, it shows, this report, that coal is old, unreliable and expensive, and the renewables are the cheapest form of new energy, and that we need to make sure that we’re getting them into a stabilised grid as quickly as possible,” she said.
“Of course, it would have been better if this process had started ten years ago, when the Liberals and Nationals were first warned that 24 out of 28 coal fired power stations were closing.
“It would be great if we started then.
“Instead, we had a previous government that stuck its head in the sand, had 23 different energy policies and didn’t land a single one of them.”
When it comes to Eraring, Ms Plibersek added the state government was focused on managing grid stabilisation issue.
“Well, this task of grid stabilisation is something that the New South Wales Government is right across.
“They’re trying to bring on the grid stabilising technology faster.
“The report that you’re referring to talks about that.
“They’ve, in fact, got legislation to allow that to happen faster.
“But it’s true, all of this would have been better if it started ten years ago, but we’re dealing with what we inherited, and we’re dealing with it quickly.”
