To accommodate this change, Lake Liddell was created to provide cooling, requiring an 11-kilometre section of the Main Northern railway line to be rebuilt on a new alignment.
Originally, the plant was fitted with the then-standard electrostatic precipitators for dust collection, and the more efficient fabric filters (similar to those used at Eraring, Munmorah units 3 and 4, Vales Point 5+6, Bayswater, and Mount Piper) were retrofitted in the early 1990s, reducing particulate emissions to a barely visible level.
[citation needed] According to estimates from Carbon Monitoring for Action, Liddell Power Station emits approximately 14.70 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually due to burning coal.
[19] The closure of this and other coal-burning power stations in Australia led the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to seek advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator on extending the life of a number of them,[20] to head off anticipated future electricity shortages.
Work will include removal of all main structures (boilers, chimneys, turbine houses, coal plant) and ancillary buildings, and levelling of the site using recovered crushed concrete.
Critical infrastructure, such as transmission connections, will be retained to support the ongoing use of the site as an industrial energy hub, helping provide employment and essential economic activity for the region.
[28] In late March 2024, Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister at the time, unveiled a significant government initiative aimed at bolstering the nation's renewable energy sector.
This initiative represents a strategic move towards fostering domestic production of solar panels, aligning with broader efforts to reduce carbon emissions and transition towards cleaner sources of energy.
By establishing a stable manufacturing facility in Australia, the government seeks to stimulate economic growth but and to position the country as a leader in renewable energy production and innovation on the global stage.
This strategic investment not only has the potential to create jobs and drive economic development but also signifies a major step towards realizing Australia's renewable energy goals.
It highlights the importance of proactive government policies and public-private partnerships in driving innovation and facilitating the transition to a greener, more sustainable energy landscape.
[29] A few months later in June 2024, Peter Dutton announced that the site was ear marked for retrofitting to become a nuclear power plant,[30] as part of the government's Net zero emissions 2050 strategy.