Located in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, Hazelwood Power Station is a brown coal fueled power plant that has a 1,600 megawatts (MW) capacity, and provides up to 25% of the state’s base load power. The plant uses brown coal supplied by the adjacent Morwell mine.
Because of its excessive emissions of carbon dioxide, the plant was slated to be decommissioned in 2009. However in 2005, the state administration decided to extend the plant’s life till 2031.
Greenpeace campaigners stated that the plant, which annually generates 19 million tons of greenhouse gases, was a major source of pollution.
Australia, a major coal exporter, accounts for nearly 1.5% of global carbon emissions. However duet to its dependence on coal for 80% of its power needs, the country is one of the biggest per-capita polluters.
