Stanwell wonât mothball loss-making coal units
May 3, 2021 â 12.00am
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Queensland state-owned power company Stanwell Corporation said it wonât be mothballing any generating units from its coal-fired power stations, despite a plunge in wholesale power prices undermining their long-term financial viability.
With the energy industry blindsided by the sudden departure of Stanwell chief executive Richard Van Breda last month â following comments he made about the need to transition away from coal â the company said it was still weeks away from appointing an acting CEO.
Tarong Power Station, near Kingaroy, has struggled to compete with cheaper renewable energy.Â
Energy experts predicted Stanwell would put some of its generating units in âcold storageâ as wholesale electricity fell to record lows, driven by the rapid influx of renewable energy in the middle of the day hitting the profitability of coal-fired power stations.
29 April 2021
Reneweconomy has reported on a study I released yesterday on the impacts of the proposed tax of rooftop solar exports to the grid, and which was also covered by the ABC TV’s 7.30 Report. In its article Reneweconomy sought the AEMC’s response to my study.
AEMC’s CEO, Ben Barr, is reported to have said the AEMC “stands by” the analysis in its Draft Determination. So what is it that the AEMC is standing by?
The facts are straight-forward and easy to follow.
In the only assessment of the impact of its Draft Determination on solar homes, AEMC presents the example of a solar home in Sydney with a 5kW PV system and that it says self-consumes 5 MWh per year.
Departed Stanwell CEO a victim of climate and culture war politics
Richard Van Breda has been taken out just as the truth of the message about coal-fired power and renewable energy has been confirmed.
Apr 28, 2021 – 6.05pm
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The full truth of the departure of Richard Van Breda as chief executive of the Queensland government-owned Stanwell Corporation is yet to emerge. But he appears to have fallen victim one way or another to another outbreak of climate and culture war politics.
At a conference last week, Mr Van Breda raised the prospect of mothballing the Tarong North and Stanwell coal-fired power plants before the end of their technical lives, due to the influx of cheap renewables into the electricity grid that are driving down wholesale power prices.
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Subscriber only Just days after energy giant Stanwell revealed its long-term plans to transition to renewable energy, CEO Richard Van Breda has announced he s stepping down from the top job. Independent Non-executive Chair and Director Paul Binsted revealed the shock decision in a statement released to the media today, thanking Mr Van Breda for 20 years of leadership within the Queensland energy sector. Richard has led Stanwell through many challenges since his 2012 appointment to the position of CEO, Mr Binsted said. Under his leadership Stanwell has consistently achieved a strong financial performance, earned the trust of its people and host communities, in both Rockhampton and the South Burnett and positioned itself as a key participant in the energy market of the future.