Last week the Australian Energy Market Operator warned the closure of the AGL’s Liddell coal-fired power station could mean blackouts for as many as 200,000 homes in NSW.

When the Liddell station closes in 2022, an energy gap will need to be filled and AGL’s current plan isn’t sufficient.

Liddell is being thrown a lifeline, with a Chinese corporation which controls south-west Queensland’s Cubbie Station declaring they want to invest in new “clean coal technology”.

CEO of NSW Minerals Council Stephen Galilee tells Chris Smith a government interested in protecting the economy needs to get on board.

“We are exporting coal in large volumes to these countries around the world. It’s our second most valuable export.

“Any political leader that wants to be responsible in relation to our economy should be getting behind this and should be making sure that we are part of this new technology, a revolution in coal-fired power because we are a county that stands to benefit the most from that.”

Mr Galilee says an aversion to coal in government is a huge problem facing Australia and needs to be addressed.

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