Morrison used a public appearance on Wednesday to rebuff fresh positioning by conservatives on coal, declaring it “false to think that a new coal-fired power station will generate electricity at the same price as old coal-fired power stations”. The treasurer pointed to the price differential between the electricity produced by existing assets and the newer high-efficiency coal plants. The renewed Coalition in-fighting comes as the Turnbull government has redoubled efforts to secure a potential buyer for AGL Energy’s ageing coal plant, Liddell. Abbott will take his annual charity bike ride, the “pollie pedal” through Victorian coal communities next week, including past the decommissioned Hazelwood power station site. While one of the aspirations in the manifesto is public investment in a new high-efficiency coal plant on the site of the now decommissioned Hazelwood coal-fired power station in Victoria, Morrison declared on Wednesday the government was not interested in subsidising any source of energy.

Source: The Guardian April 04, 2018 07:15 UTC