Reject the $600M gas fired power station that has been recklessly proposed for Kurri Kurri in the NSW Hunter Valley.
We want this dirty gas plant rejected for its negative impacts on the climate. $600M all for the sake of only 10 jobs is an obscene waste of public money. The ‘gas led recovery’ is another way to continue our dependency on fossil fuels at a time when we need urgent action on climate change. We draw a line in the sand and say NO to new gas plants.
Why is this important?
WASTE OF MONEY
We reject this use of $600 million of public money to build the new Kurri Kurri gas plant in the NSW Hunter Valley. This announcement came just a day after a report by the International Energy Agency urged the world to abandon plans for new coal power, gas and oil investments, and predicted big drops in gas demand. [1]
THE GAS PLANT IS NOT NEEDED
Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed the proposed Kurri Kurri gas plant would fill the energy gap left by the closure of the Liddell power station in 2023. This is disputed by the Australian Energy Market Operator, which said in September that only 150MW would be needed following Liddell’s closure – a gap that could be easily filled by renewable energy and battery storage, with a number of new projects already announced. [2]
600M FOR JUST 10 JOBS
The project has been opposed by the energy industry and some unions, with the AMWU saying “A gas-led recovery has been fully debunked as any kind of responsible solution. It denies working people a secure future. We need a manufacturing led recovery with workers in the Hunter Valley at the heart.” [3]
STRONG PIPELINE OPPOSITION
The gas for this power plant could come from Santos’ proposed Narrabri coal seam gas project and be delivered via the proposed Hunter Gas Pipeline, which is slated to run across prime agricultural land from southern QLD to Newcastle in NSW via Narrabri, with a proposed offshoot to the Kurri Kurri site. Both the Narrabri Gas Project and the Hunter Gas Pipeline face overwhelming opposition from Traditional Owners and local farmers.
KURRI KURRI OPPOSITION:
“Kurri Kurri needs sustainable jobs in industries of the future, not to be fobbed off with a handful of jobs in last century’s technology.” – Janet Murray, a local.
Gas Free Hunter Alliance
REFERENCES:
[1] Australia urged to drop coal and gas plans after global energy agency’s warning, The Guardian, 18 May 2021.
[2] PM’s gas plan ‘overkill’ for market, Australian Financial Review, 16 September 2020.
[3] Tweet, AMWU, 18 May 2021.
How it will be delivered
We will have to email the petition to the ministers due to current Covid restrictions in NSW.
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