Shadow Climate Change and Energy Minister Ted O'Brien will meet with Hunter industry representatives on Monday to discuss their concerns about energy prices and grid instability.
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Mr O'Brien said the closure of Liddell Power Station next week represented the start of an unprecedented period of turbulence in Australia's energy market.
"Labor has created an energy vacuum and there is no guarantee that a replacement will be built in time. In government, the Coalition understood the risks to the NSW energy system and we planned ahead," Mr O'Brien said.
"We worked with AGL to extend the life of Liddell and commissioned the 660megawat Kurri Kurri gas project to be built in time to ensure stability for NSW households and businesses."
"Labor's ideological war on gas risks the all-important Kurri Kurri project turning into a white elephant."
Snowy Hydro's chief executive Dennis Barnes confirmed to a Senate Estimates hearing in February that the Hunter Power Project at Kurri would not be fully operational until December 2024, more than 18 months after the closure of Liddell Power Station.
Mr Barnes said the $600 million project had been hit by construction delays due to bad weather. And there was no guarantee that costs and timelines would not blow out further, he said.
Introducing a 30 per cent green hydrogen blend into the $600 million plant's fuel mix from the commencement of operations was a key pre-election commitment from Labor. The commitment was supported by an extra $700 million.
Snowy Hydro has confirmed it is yet to identify the source of the green hydrogen that will eventually fuel the Hunter Power Project.
"Labor needs to start listening to the experts and ensure Kurri Kurri can begin powering the network as soon as possible if it wants to avoid rolling brown and blackouts," Mr O'Brien said.
The Shadow Minister, who will visit Tomago Aluminium and meet with Business Hunter, said higher energy prices were already impacting households and businesses across the region.
"I am speaking with small business owners and families every other day who are living on a knife's edge and are petrified of what will happen if prices continue to skyrocket," he said.
"The Coalition supports an orderly transition to a cleaner energy future, but forcing out 80 per cent of the nation's baseload energy without a guarantee of replacement is lunacy. That's more than 30 per cent of NSW's total energy capacity, gone."
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
