Origin Energy announced that it will continue operations at all four units of the Eraring Power Station until April 30, 2029. The company announced this decision to help strengthen New South Wales’ electricity supply. It’s at the heart of their plan to navigate through the ongoing energy transition. The coal plant was originally scheduled to shutter by August 2027. Shifts in market conditions and customer demand drove an extension of its operational timeline.
Our power station, Eraring Power Station, is at maximum effort to help deliver a reliable electricity supply for New South Wales. Yet this region is at the epicenter of transformative changes across the entire energy landscape. Even Frank Calabria, the CEO of Origin Energy, highlighted the significance of this decision. Above all, he emphasized that it addresses some big underlying questions for the nation’s energy system.
“We have taken the decision to extend Eraring’s operations after assessing a range of factors including the needs of our customers, market conditions and the important role the plant plays in the NSW energy system.” – Frank Calabria
They will upgrade Eraring Power Station by adding a new battery with an output capacity of 700 megawatts. This installation will include a storage capability of 3.16 gigawatt-hours, or about just over four-and-a-half hours worth of supply of electricity. The fourth phase of development for Eraring will be a significant upgrade to its current storage capacity. It will increase the time for stage two to almost six hours.
Calabria shed a light on the positive progress we are making on new energy infrastructure, including large-scale transmission projects and big battery projects. The Eraring Power Station is more important than ever in order to remain operational.
“Good progress is being made on the delivery of new energy infrastructure including major transmission works and projects like our large-scale battery at Eraring, but it has become clear Eraring Power Station will need to run for longer to support secure and stable power supply.” – Frank Calabria
Origin Energy has already delayed the operations of Eraring Power Station, but will not conduct any significant maintenance before the plant’s planned closure in 2029. Beyond that, the company hasn’t done much to clarify this confirmation. Those investments have significantly improved the reliability and flexibility of the power station’s units. That way, they can keep up their good work over this much longer stretch of time.
Genuinely significant Importantly, Origin Energy insisted that these newly prolonged operations weren’t going to have any effect on its 2030 emissions reduction commitments. The company has pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, as detailed in its 2025 Climate Transition Action Plan. This plan has already paid for 525 training projects to help prepare workers for the changing energy industry.