Farmers for Climate Action Acting CEO, Verity Morgan-Schmidt, said the closure had been completed with zero forced redundancies; wholesale electricity prices have reduced in the three years since the station closed, and there is now a 500MW battery on the site.

“Farmers need the shift to clean energy to go well, so we can have a stable climate to grow Australia’s food. Announced in 2015, the closure of Liddell shows us that a planned energy shift can be achieved, we just need political point scoring to get out of the way,” Ms Morgan Schmidt said.

“As Australia shifts to clean energy, we need to ensure that workers, families and regional communities are treated with respect, transparency and honesty.”

“Done right, done on time, done with dignity. Eight years’ notice was given, there were zero forced redundancies, and wholesale power prices have reduced since closure as a result of new clean supply entering the market. 

“Many workers at Liddell were of retirement age and chose to retire when the station shut. Others began work at nearby Bayswater power station, which is also owned by AGL. The company plans to turn the site into a clean manufacturing hub.

“Some said the sky would fall if Liddell closed, but the wholesale price of electricity fell 41% in the September 2023 quarter and continues to come down as more clean energy enters our grid. The energy market operator has today confirmed consumers will see power price reductions of 7.7 per cent in NSW, 10.7 per cent in south-east Queensland and 1.1 per cent in South Australia as more clean energy and storage has entered the grid.” Ms Morgan-Schmidt said.

“Regional communities like the Hunter are continuing their energy tradition using Australia’s natural resources – sun, wind and the water in our dams – to generate our power. Regional Australia knows we need a stable climate to grow food for the nation, and Australian farmers have always grown clean and green food. Now our farmers help supply clean energy, too.”