MUNGARRA GAS TURBINES
43. Mr R.S. LOVE to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to Geraldton and the
surrounding towns' recent reliance on the Mungarra gas turbines
following the network damage caused by ex–tropical cyclone Seroja.
(1) Does the
minister now admit that the Australian Energy Market Operator was right when it
forced the government to backflip on its decision to close the Mungarra plant,
believing that the closure would leave the energy supply for Geraldton
vulnerable in the event of network disruptions?
(2) What is the minister doing to
ensure reliable energy supplies for communities across the midwest?
Mr W.J.
JOHNSTON replied:
(1)–(2) That
is an excellent question. The member should ask it of former Minister for
Energy Hon Mike Nahan because he was actually the one who wanted to close the
Mungarra station, not Minister Ben Wyatt.
Mr R.S. Love interjected.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON: I am
sorry, I just want to make this clear: that was turned into a network control
service generator by Western Power. It was Western Power that turned it into an
NCS generator, which is why it is still available. It is a network support
generator. When it was closed by the Liberal and National Parties, it was
closed by Mike Nahan as part of the cap
placed on Synergy's generation fleet. It was not closed by Ben Wyatt;
it was closed by Mike Nahan. The AEMO and Western Power worked together
to keep it on what is called an NCS generator. There is another one in
Kalgoorlie that was also shut by Mike Nahan as part of the generation cap on
Synergy. Before the member asks these questions, he should go into the heart of
these things and find out what actually happened.
The ones in Kalgoorlie and Mungarra were closed by Mike Nahan as part of
keeping Synergy's generation fleet below the cap. It was not
closed by this government, and it certainly was not closed by me. I visited the
Mungarra gas facility, as I did the solar farm next door. They are important
pieces of infrastructure in our energy system and they continue to provide
important services. That is what NCS services are designed to do.