Six years ago at La Trobe University’s Wodonga campus, a cake shaped like the Hazelwood Power Station was devoured by 60 people calling for the closure of the coal-fired plant.
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Now, supporters of that day have welcomed the news their objective then has come to fruition.
Fairfax Media revealed on Saturday it was likely the Latrobe Valley plan would close as early as April next year, after a decision was made by the owners prior to a board meeting in October.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said there was no indication a closure was imminent.
Wodonga Albury Toward Climate Health spokesman Lauriston Muirhead said if the station were to close in April, it would be a long-awaited “milestone” in a challenging journey.
“We have campaigned with other groups over the last 10 years to have Hazelwood and other coal-fired power stations shut down and replaced by renewable energy,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to know whether this has been caused by the market, campaigning or other pressures.
“It’s probably a combination of all the above and so it’s important we keep trying to get that message across, that we need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”
Hazelwood is responsible for up to 15 per cent of Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Muirhead said more planning needed to happen to ensure workers at coal-fired power plants were not left in the lurch, particularly as an estimated 150 of 1000 jobs set to be affected by the Hazelwood closure could be retained cleaning up the site.
“It’s important to say there will be job losses associated with the closure and it’s essential people who do lose their jobs are compensated and retrained in new industries that are not polluting industries,” he said.
“State and federal governments have been missing in action – there has been no planned approach to what we know must happen.
“We’d like people to continue to talk to their federal and state representatives about making the change from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”