I don't know what the author has against John Lennon.

He only stole
A few lumps of coal.
From his Granny's hole.

I think the Andrews plan of 95% renewables by 2035 will fail spectacularly. That's not just covering Victoria's current electricity demand but also population growth, electric transport and gas replacement. Also finding compatible jobs for the people now working at Yallourn and Loy Yang A&B.

The proposed offshore wind farm is too far away for Latrobe Valley residents to commute. Europe's offshore wind was producing just a few percent of its nominal capacity last October but they had gas backup. Both regions are now losing gas due to conflict or depletion. Some say government ownership of the offshore wind farm will scare away private investors for the rest of Victoria. I doubt there will be enough spare capital private or public to get it all done. My prediction is the 95% won't happen and Vic will import liquefied gas from WA.

Obviously, there is a total lack of power supply for a light bulb moment.
What a shame!

Dan

I disagree with the tenor of the article. We are talking about state assets that were the people's property that were privatized at the behest of conservative idealogues, who arguably had no mandate for this act.

Foreign investors are quite notorious for tax avoidance, price gouging and profit repatriation. Coal prices today do not in any way reflect the actual cost of local production. Ditto current gas prices.

Debt laden foreign investors can't see beyond maximized profits regardless of how damaging that is to the local domestic economy.

That said, labor state government have set themselves up for this outcome by the asinine refusal to envisage STATE OWNED nuclear power as an alternative.

But instead have waffled on about stranded assets etc. Look for any other alternative even if that adds billions to state and Federal budgets. Claim that their preferred renewables are the cheapest.

Maybe, but any when compared to current coal gas and oil prices. But totally wrong when compared to MSR thorium which has a claimed median price of 1.98 cents PKWH (Ivy League, Professor Robert Hargraves economist and author of, thorium, cheaper than coal).

Something validated by prize winning investigative journalist and science writer, Richard Martin, who Authored the book, Thorium, Super Fuel. Subtitled, green energy.

Moreover, MSR technology can very safely use nuclear waste as fuel. Fuel other folks will pay us annual billions to take off their hands. And given we build (mass produce) many SMR MSRs and use nuclear waste as fuel, make foreign investors finish with billions worth of stranded assets as reward for their economy damaging extreme price gouging activities!

That my friends, is pragmatism not Leninism.
Alan B.

The only difference that transferring ownership of Victoria's generators into state hands is that the State of Victoria will go broke instead of the Current owners going broke and closing down.
David

Too true David.
This is what I predict happening.
A big campaign of installing much solar and wind power, mainly on
borrowed money. In hoping to repay the debt by selling the electricity
they will find the well known ratio of 35% of rated output per turbine
over a year will leave the Victorian government with an escallating
debt than can only be defeated by installing more turbines and solar
cells in another part of the country.
If the wind is only a zephyr in Victoria they will need to install
more turbines some distance away to find a different wind system.
Victoria will either have to build them in another state, if allowed,
or buy what they need from another state if the output is available.
Victoria is simply not big enough to do the job.
They will add more and more turbines until their credit runs out.
The Victorian government will go broke trying to beat the arithmetic.
They will find that they cannot borrow the money to build a coal plant.
Blackouts will be a daily occurrence and the economy will collapse.
The Federal government might refuse to step in because some other
states are getting into the same mess.

Just in case I am not around when all this happens just remember;

I TOLD YOU SO !