Frydenberg takes the low road: It’s a weak NEG or nothing

The Coalition government is ramping up the pressure on the Labor states, seeking to paint the National Energy Guarantee as the middle path and the one and only policy option, despite its desperate attempts to shift the discussion to meet the demands of its own right wing.

Energy minister Josh Frydenberg - "Nice
words, but the cynicism is breathtaking".

Energy minister Josh Frydenberg used a National Press Club appearance on Wednesday to try and force the states to agree on the as yet ill-defined NEG, arguing that economics and engineering should triumph over ideology, and there was a need for a market based solution.

Nice words, but the cynicism is breathtaking.

Ideology? This, from a man who has spent much of the past 18 months demonising renewables, arguing in the face of all evidence to the contrary from the CSIRO and the network owners that high levels of renewables is reckless.

Read the story Giles Parkinson story from RenewEconomy - “Frydenberg takes the low road: It’s a weak NEG or nothing.”

Stand-off between Turnbull government and AGL deepens over conflicting statements.

The tense stand-off between the Turnbull government and energy giant AGL has deepened after different accounts emerged of what happened in a meeting about the future of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

AGL's Andy Vesey said on Monday after meeting
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that he would put
the idea of extending Liddell to his board even
though it was "economically irrational". 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the government had secured a commitment from AGL to develop within 90 days a proposal to keep the NSW plant open, sell it, or guarantee equivalent power should the scheduled 2022 closure proceed. The government wants to plant to remain operating to meet a looming shortfall in baseload power.

However, a statement released by AGL following Monday's meeting noted it had committed to deliver a plan to avoid an energy shortfall "once the Liddell coal-fired power station retires in 2022”.

While Mr Vesey said he agreed to the government's request to examine keeping the plant running or selling it, the statement emphasised the ageing facility's growing reliability problems.

Read the story by Fergus Hunter in today’s Melbourne Age - “Stand-off between Turnbull government and AGL deepens over conflicting statements.”