Guy charges campaign with power plant

A POWER station big enough to supply the state’s hospitals and transport network would be built if the Coalition won the November 24 election.

In a cost-of-living pitch, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy will unveil his plan to put enough energy into the grid to power at least 350,000 homes, cutting family bills by an average of $355 a year.

It can be revealed the radical plan would let a Guy government bulk-buy enough energy from the new power station to run the state’s major public services.

“Building a new power station will mean lower prices for the long-term, which is going to save households and businesses hundreds of dollars every year,” Mr Guy said.

The winning bidder would have to build a power station capable of producing at least 500MW, and could sell excess power to the private market.

It would need to be built with a “24-7” capacity to power up at short notice and boost supply security.

While a station of that size is most likely to be gas-fired, if the most cost-effective bid is for a large coal power station, it would be considered — with Mr Guy to declare it is “up to the market to best determine the mode of generation”.

It is likely to put the Coalition at odds with green groups, which want nonrenewable generation phased out to meet climate change targets, and with the Government, which has announced a renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030.

Mr Guy said the 500MW capacity could be built in a “combination” of ways using any of hydro, wind, solar, gas or coal — “provided that it is new capacity and is available to supply electricity 24/7”.