AGL: close Liddell and invest in renewables
The Liddell power station, IMG Credit: AAP/Dan Sewell/Greenpeace
The Turnbull government is trying to bully Australia's biggest polluter — AGL — into burning coal for as long as possible.
The Liddell coal-fired power station, in NSW's Hunter Valley, is a dirty old clunker. It's unreliable, outdated and a risk to the health of the local community. Two years ago, AGL announced they would be closing Liddell in 2022 — at the end of its 50-year life span.
But now the Turnbull government is telling AGL to keep Liddell open for 5 years past its use-by date, or sell it to someone who will. And their CEO has promised to take Turnbull's brain-fart to the board
AGL's board will be gathering for their Annual General Meeting in Melbourne in less than two weeks. We need to send a clear message to the board that the community wants them to keep their promise to get out of coal.
Can you sign the petition asking AGL to stick to their word, close Liddell and invest in renewables?
Energy experts and business agree that the main problem plaguing Australia's energy sector is the lack of clear policy from the Federal government. The government's complete lack of a plan for transforming our energy sector is the main thing holding renewables back and pushing up power prices. In fact, if Tony Abbott hadn't cut the Renewable Energy Target, we'd already be on track with enough renewable generation to replace Liddell when it closes!1
Ministers are looking for a distraction from their complete failure to provide a coherent energy and climate policy. That's why they've started a public fight with AGL to prolong the life of the Liddell coal-fired power plant — an outdated and unreliable old clunker that's slated to close in 2022.
Keeping Liddell open past its use-by date is the Turnbull Government's plan for delaying the transition to clean energy. But even dirty power companies like AGL know that the future will be powered by renewables and storage, and have been planning to replace old coal-fired power stations like Liddell with clean energy. AGL's not moving fast enough to save the climate, but they are moving - and the Turnbull government wants to stop them in their tracks
That's why we need to send AGL a clear message that the community wants an energy future based on cleaner, cheaper renewables. Not dirty coal.
References[1] The true cost of keeping the Liddell power plant open, The Conversation, 11 September 2017
[2] Coalition's public shaming of AGL another assault on imaginary energy enemies, The Guardian, 12 September 2017
AGL: STICK TO YOUR GUNS AND CLOSE LIDDELL!
To the board and CEO of AGL,
We ask that you;