The cloud of coal has long hung over the Latrobe Valley. Now nuclear power is dividing it

Latrobe Valley residents know the writing is on the wall for its coal plants. But the Coalition’s nuclear plan is creating a deep chasm. Photograph: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/The Guardian

No matter where you are in the Latrobe Valley, you can see the smoke haze. The transmission lines that punctuate the region’s dairy farms and clusters of blue gums all lead to some of the country’s biggest coal-fired power plants, where the plumes of smoke soar from smokestacks and steam from cooling towers.

This valley provides most of Victoria’s electricity, but it’s been on the edge of a precipice. Over the next 11 years, Loy Yang A and Yallourn are expected to be decommissioned. Residents know the writing is on the wall for coal, but confusion over what comes next is creating a deep chasm.