Origin Energy wants to shut down its Eraring power station in NSW’s Lake Macquarie in 2025 – that’s 7 years earlier than planned, and takes 400 jobs with it. It’s Australia’s largest coal-fired electricity generator, and it supplies NSW with 20% of its power. But with more renewable energy being generated, Origin says “rapidly changing” market conditions have made the plant financially unviable. Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor called the decision “bitterly disappointing” for Australians who “rely on affordable, reliable energy to prosper”. NSW Treasurer Matt Kean was also “disappointed” but said he was working with Origin on a “super battery” to be installed at the site that would be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. While the closure of coal-fired plants helps reduce carbon emissions, regulators (and politicians…) are worried that early shutdowns could create price and supply issues.