The last of Victoria's coal-fired power plants would be shut within the next decade if the Greens have their way, with experts saying the deadline may be feasible.
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A bill is expected to be introduced to state parliament on Tuesday, proposing Victoria's three remaining coal plants close by 2030, ahead of the current anticipated 2046 time frame.
The Greens are releasing the Energy Legislation Amendment (Transition from Coal) Bill alongside a climate policy package for the November state election.
It is expected to be debated and voted on in September, with the party also pitching a job-for-job guarantee for coal workers.
"The writing is on the wall for Victoria's brown coal plants which burn Australia's most polluting coal," Greens acting climate spokesman Tim Read said.
"They're old, unreliable and spew toxic pollution that is harming the health of local communities."
Under the bill, the deadline for Yallourn's closure would be set for 2024, compared with its anticipated time frame of 2028.
Loy Yang A would shut in 2027 under the legislation, as opposed to by 2045, and Loy Yang B's closure would be shifted from 2046 back to 2030.
Closing Victoria's remaining coal-fired power plants in the next decade is feasible, says University of Melbourne energy systems research fellow Dylan McConnell.
Among several scenarios the Australian Energy Market Operator has modelled for, the "hydrogen superpower" model would see the country's variable renewable energy scaled up by more than 30 times.
"But then actually having the incentives, (the) workforce, and all the other supply chain issues worked out to deliver it is another question that I think we don't know the answer to yet," Dr McConnell told AAP.
AGL, which runs Loy Yang A, is reviewing its strategic direction, including how to approach decarbonisation.
It announced in February the power plant's closure by 2045, with the earliest date for the shutdown put at 2040 - a timeline Dr McConnell said was too late.
The best general consensus for when Victoria should close remaining coal-fired power stations was by the early 2030s, Dr McConnell said.
The financial and security benefits of decarbonising the energy sector would be significant, Monash Energy Institute director Ariel Liebman said.
"We really need to decarbonise the whole electricity sector by 2035, so 2030 as a date for all coal closures is not entirely unreasonable," Professor Liebman said.
"There's actually some technical grid control challenges, some of which can be met by a sufficiently large investment in energy storage, such as batteries, or off-river pumped hydro."
Work was also needed to integrate old and new technologies on the grid, Prof Liebman said.
EnergyAustralia, which runs Yallourn, was determined to show coal-fired power can exit the market responsibly while supporting staff and providing reliable energy, a spokesperson said.
It has a multimillion-dollar support package made with with seven years' advance notice so employees have time to plan, reskill or retrain.
EnergyAustralia has committed to net zero by 2050 and to be out of coal by 2040.
The Greens' bill would also increase Victoria's legislated renewable energy target to 100 per cent by 2030, powered by a $10 billion investment in renewables.
The Andrews government is aiming for 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
The Greens also want secure funding to 2035 for an independent Latrobe Valley authority to manage power plant closures.
Australian Associated Press
