Clean Energy Council response to the Coalition's net zero announcement

“The politics of net zero does not change the physics of our electricity system. Australia’s coal-fired power stations are closing whether we like it or not — more than 90 per cent are due to retire in the next decade. The fastest and cheapest option to replace the power is solar, wind backed by batteries and a bit of gas.”

“Abandoning net zero won’t cut power bills or improve energy security. It simply undermines Australia as a stable investment environment and frustrates the credible plan to replace the coal units that are already shutting down. Without that replacement, households, businesses and critical industries will face higher prices, more frequent outages and growing system instability.

“Time and time again, report after report shows that wind and solar backed by storage remain the cheapest form of new generation into the future. We are replacing old kit. Coal plants aren’t retiring because of politics — they’re retiring because they’re old, unreliable and uneconomic. You can’t legislate them back into service, and trying to keep them running past their use-by date only drives up bills.

“With electricity demand set to surge — from EVs, household electrification and a wave of proposed data centres — stepping back from net zero would also mean stepping away from the global economic opportunities other countries are already seizing.

“Australia’s energy transition isn’t optional. The coal fleet will retire regardless. Our responsibility is to get on with replacing it and delivering clean, reliable energy for all Australians.