Dropping coal will hike power costs – unless the government gets its act together

Governments will have to plan renewable energy quickly to protect consumers and the power network. Photo: Getty

Origin Energy’s plans to close the country’s largest coal-fired generator in 2025 will push power prices much higher if governments don’t act quickly, industry experts say.

The move, which will take 20 per cent of NSW’s electricity generation out of the national electricity market, will be a shock to a system that has little spare capacity because, despite closures in recent years, coal still provides 60 per cent of Australia’s power.