Australia’s Coal State Faces Backlash for Hindering Transition

The decision by Australia’s Queensland to extend the life of its coal-fired power fleet could chill investment in renewable projects needed to meet ambitious national climate targets, according to energy ministers from other states.
Queensland’s Liberal National Party-led government earlier this month announced an energy roadmap that included plans to keep its coal plants online until the end of their technical life, undoing a pledge by the previous Labor administration to end generation using the fuel by 2035. The state’s energy minister defended the policy from strong criticism by his counterparts from Labor-run Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia during a panel discussion at The Australian Financial Review Energy & Climate Summit in Sydney on Tuesday.