By Liz Westcott, Energy Executive, EnergyAustralia

After decades of faithful service, Yallourn Power Station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley will be retired in mid-2028, four years ahead of schedule.

The transition to a clean energy future in Australia matters. We believe the best way for it to succeed is with a considerate and balanced plan.

By supporting people in the Latrobe Valley and locking in new energy storage, we hope to give confidence to the communities we serve through the smoothest transition possible.

Putting employees first

EnergyAustralia has committed to a multimillion-dollar support package to help workers at the power station and mine plan, reskill, or retrain.

Yallourn’s retirement will mean different things to different people. It is our job to ensure the approach is a respectful and collaborative one.

Our support package will include training and skills development, career planning, assistance for redeployment, and financial counselling. We want Yallourn workers to have a say in how this support is delivered, and we have launched a process to understand their individual needs.

Towards a carbon zero future

By providing ample notice ahead of Yallourn’s retirement in mid-2028 and introducing new battery storage facility, EnergyAustralia is making good on its ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050.

In closing Yallourn, we will reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by more than 60% compared with today’s levels. To put that in context, Yallourn’s closure will remove around 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, equivalent to the planting of some 300,000 trees.

Leaving no one behind

For more than a century Victoria’s Latrobe Valley has generated electricity to heat, cool, light up, and power millions of homes and businesses across the state and the country.

The energy system is changing, and it is our responsibility to lead the transition to cleaner energy in a way that does not leave the workforce or the community behind. At the same time, we want to maintain the same reliable and affordable access to energy for everyone.

The challenge to getting this right has always been planning: By getting the right balance and mix for a modern energy system in the most cost-effective manner.

Success will give each home and business in Australia access years from now to energy that is reliable, affordable, and above all, clean. At EnergyAustralia, we will continue to play our role in turning that ambition into a reality.