Weak demand for electricity across eastern mainland states has sparked a “dramatic fall” in greenhouse gas emissions from Australia’s power stations, the latest review of data by consultants Pitt & Sherry has found.
While demand for base-load electricity from black coal-fired power stations has been in retreat for about three years, the decline has extended in recent months to two of Victoria’s emissions-intensive brown coal-fired plants, Hazelwood and Yallourn.
Hazelwood, one of the country’s oldest and dirtiest power plants, was operating at only 67 per cent capacity in November, down from the mid-80 per cent range in May and June, Hugh Saddler, principal consultant in the climate change business unit of Pitt & Sherry, said.
The data, analysed from half-hourly reports to the Australian Energy Market Operator, also show Yallourn was operating at just 56 per cent last month even after it announced it was mothballing one of its four units. That ratio is down from 90 per cent capacity use in December last year, Dr Saddler said.
Click here to read the story.
