Callide Crisis A Sign Of Things To Come For Our Energy Network

“The shutdown of all the generators at Callide, and the likely blackouts and load-shedding to follow, is a frightening reminder of how fragile Australia’s energy system is thanks to the policy of net zero emissions by 2050,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.

Today, due to compounding equipment failures, the Callide Power Station, located at Biloela in Central Queensland, has been taken completely offline, with energy workers warning of possible blackouts.

“The vulnerabilities caused by the total shutdown of Callide has again exposed the consequences of removing affordable and reliable baseload power stations from the National Energy Market,” said Mr Wild.

“Having power stations like Callide fail, especially while others are offline for maintenance, demonstrates the crisis awaiting us when baseload power stations are prematurely abandoned and taken out of the National Energy Market.”

“This is just the beginning of a long hot summer for Queenslanders, who now can have little confidence that the lights or their air-conditioners will switch on.”

Callide coming offline today is just the latest crisis Australians face when it comes to energy. On the first day of winter this year, the Australian Energy Market Operator issued warnings, and then took the unprecedented step of suspending the energy market, just to ensure the lights stayed on Australia’s eastern seaboard.

“Australia’s energy crisis is entirely of our own making. It has been caused by deliberate policy choices by those on both sides of politics who have put activists first and families last,” said Mr Wild.

“It is astonishing that in the year 2022 how any political leader believes it is acceptable to risk market-wide blackouts by forcing reliable and affordable baseload power off the market in the name of net zero.”

“Australia’s politicians have completely distorted our energy market through commitments to net zero and highly subsidised renewables. This has pushed reliable and affordable baseload power generation off the grid and has created the possible scenario we face today with Callide coming offline,” Mr Wild said.