Australia’s biggest coal-based energy plant to close early

Australia’s largest coal-based power energy plant is going to shut down seven years before its scheduled time. According to the operators of the power generating plant- Origin Energy, the reason behind the sudden shutdown is that they are not able to compete with the rising number in green energy capacity of the country. The plant used to produce 2.8 GW of energy and was situated in the Hunter region of Sydney. Origin's chief executive Frank Calabria said: "Australia's energy market today is very different to the one when Eraring was brought online in the early 1980s”. Australia’s dependency on coal has decreased lately as cheaper alternatives such as solar and wind energy are gaining popularity in the energy sector. However, still, 60% of the total energy production of Australia comes from coal-based power generating plants. It is being said that by the end of 2030, green energy will provide 70% of the total energy capacity of Australia.