A proposed new coal-fired power station at Collinsville in north Queensland is now being pitched as a “flexible” firming project – a pivot that neatly aligns with federal government moves to bankroll such plans.
The federal government controversially gave Shine Energy $3.3m in 2020 to conduct a feasibility study into the Collinsville plant. In a press release announcing the grant, government backbencher Michelle Landry said the generator would provide “affordable baseload power”.