Brookfield, the prospective new owner of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station, has declared it would be open to discussions with the NSW government on a potential sale of the generator as it pursues the decarbonisation of Origin Energy, which it has agreed to acquire.

But speaking after the giant Canadian infrastructure investor and its partner EIG signed a binding deal to buy Origin for $18.7 billion, Stewart Upson, chief executive of the Asia-Pacific business of Brookfield, said any talks would have to involve the early closure of the huge generator as the end game, and not just defer a shutdown.