Hazelwood power station workers prepare for shut down
HUNDREDS of workers at the Hazelwood power station will finish their last shift over the following days as they shut down the plant’s eight units.
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HUNDREDS of workers at the Hazelwood power station will finish their last shift over the following days as they shut down the plant’s eight units.
The workers will begin receiving their redundancy payments — which total more than $300,000 for some long-term staff — over the following weeks.
About 750 Hazelwood workers, comprising 450 direct workers and 300 contractors, will be jobless after the plant is shut down.
Three of the plant’s units were shut down on Monday, three will be turned off on Tuesday and the last two will go offline on Wednesday.
The boilers will then undergo a cooling down period over Thursday and Friday, with the complex decommissioning process taking place over the next year.
Of the direct employees, 135 will stay on to assist with the decommissioning of the plant and rehabilitation of the associated mine, which will cost at least $743 million.
Environment Victoria campaigns manager Nicholas Aberle said a lot of work was needed to rehabilitate the mine site.
“The Hazelwood pit is an enormous hole — many times the size of the Melbourne CBD and 150m deep,” Dr Aberle said.
“There’s an opportunity to turn this into something that creates ongoing benefit to the community, who need to be involved in making decisions about what becomes of the mine.”
The owner of the power station, French energy giant ENGIE, announced the plant and mine would close in November last year. Dr Aberle said there should be more warning with the next power station closure “so that workers, communities and governments can start planning today”.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the state’s energy supply was not threatened by the plant’s closure.
“In fact, Victoria will remain a net exporter of electricity beyond the closure of Hazelwood,” she said.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the Hazelwood power station and mine shouldn’t be closing.
“The government I would lead would be investing and supporting base load power in Victoria. I wouldn’t sit idly by like Daniel Andrews and watch a quarter of our power supply shut in one week, it’s crazy,” Mr Guy said.
“Victoria is going to suffer blackouts and brownouts in future summers, without a shadow of a doubt.
“I believe Hazelwood should be open, should stay open and should be open until 2025 as was planned.”
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