Revelations that NSW faced rolling blackouts because of Liberal and Labor's planned early closure of the Eraring coal-fired power station are a cruel joke, Family First NSW Upper House candidate Lyle Shelton said today.
"The major parties' reckless obsession with net zero is putting pressure on families and businesses are being left dangerously exposed," Mr Shelton said.
"While the federal Liberals may have dumped net zero, State Liberals who if in government actually decide if reliable power sources are shut, are still in love with next zero and won't drop it despite the pain it causes families and business."
Reporting by The Australian shows that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) forecast a rising risk of rolling blackouts in NSW in the absence of the Eraring Power Station — only to later advise there would be no reliability gap.
"It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious," Mr Shelton said.
"In what universe do politicians bring a state like NSW to the brink? Origin Energy's decision to extend Eraring's life, with the Minns' Government's quick agreement, was the only thing that averted a Liberal-induced disaster.
"Under former Liberal Energy Minister Matt Kean, the Coalition wanted to shut down Eraring early as part of its net zero crusade. Now Labor has inherited the mess and appears just as determined to press on with unreliable wind and solar factories across country NSW."
Mr Shelton said families are rightly asking how Australia's most populous state could face rolling blackouts in a country blessed with some of the world's largest coal and gas reserves.
"The fact that NSW could have been plunged into blackouts if Eraring had closed shows how fragile the system has become under net zero ideology," he said.
Centre for Independent Studies energy director Aidan Morrison has exposed the seriousness of the risk.
"It's hard to understate how badly the public, and policymakers, have been misled," Mr Morrison told The Australian. "The narrative that renewables are on track to replace coal power has been demolished by AEMO's own analysis.
"The reality that NSW would have been plunged into rolling blackouts if Eraring closed in August 2027 has never dawned on the public. AEMO's data shows expected unserved energy in November 2027 about a thousand times the regulated level the system's meant to achieve … the equivalent of the whole state blacked out for about an hour each week."
Mr Shelton said both major parties must abandon net zero before more damage is done.
"Family First will campaign for Labor and Liberal to dump net zero, halt the roll-out of industrial-scale wind and solar factories in regional NSW, and rebuild the state's coal and gas generation capacity — with a clear pathway to zero-emissions nuclear energy in the future.
"Mums and dads struggling with the cost of living don't need blackouts on top of soaring power bills. NSW deserves reliable, affordable electricity — not ideological experiments," Mr Shelton said.
