Sian Crampsie
Energy firm Alinta has ceased operations at its Northern power station in Port Augusta, marking the end of coal-fired power generation in the state of South Australia.
The 544 MW power plant had operated for 31 years using brown coal. ALinta decided to close the facility because the plant could not compete with renewable energy resources such as wind and solar operating on the grid.
The Northern power station was part of Alinta’s Flinders operations, which encompassed two power plants at Port Augusta as well as the Leigh Creek coal mine and coal haulage operations. Alinta Energy CEO, Jeff Dimery, said that disconnecting the Northern power station from the network marked "the end of an important and proud era for Alinta Energy".
The Australian Energy Market Operator has said that there will be no increased risk to system reliability due to the closure of the state’s coal-fired power plants because wind and solar photovoltaic power is expected to reach half of the area’s generation share by the end of this year.
