In response to the news the Queensland government has refused the Clive Palmer-owned Waratah Coal’s application for a new coal-fired power station at Barcaldine, the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate and energy program manager Gavan McFadzean said:
“We commend the Queensland government for this decision and congratulate the community that has campaigned to stop this misguided proposal because of the damage it would do to the local environment and the global climate we all share.
“We could have just witnessed Queensland’s last coal-fired power station proposal.
“The Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan states that ‘by 2035 … we will have no regular reliance on coal.’
“The International Energy Agency has made it clear there can be no new coal and gas projects if the world is to stay within safe limits of global heating.
“As the Queensland government department’s original rejection of Waratah Coal’s application put it, the proposal had ‘the potential to contribute to serious and irreversible environmental harm through its contribution to climate change.’
“Incoming Premier Steven Miles has backed that decision today, effectively confirming that coal-burning is on the way out in Queensland.
“Coal-fired power is losing out to better, more reliable renewable energy technologies that can create and protect jobs and enhance quality of life.
“In contrast, Clive Palmer’s proposal would promote further intergenerational injustice, with future generations forced to manage, mitigate and mop up the mess caused by coal-burning.
“Queenslanders want clean, safe communities and steady sustainable jobs that are powered by reliable, non-polluting, low-cost energy that can keep our heavy industry competitive in the global market.
“There is no place for a private company trying to interfere with Queensland’s energy plan which has laid out a pathway to a safer, sustainable future.”
