FUNDING shortfalls for a proposed 300MW gas-fired power station at Reeves Plains have forced Alinta Energy to apply for a two-year planning approval extension from the State Government.
Set to be built on Redbanks Road, around 15km north-west of Gawler, the proposed 300MW power station was approved by the then-Labor State Government in February 2018, a day before it sent into caretaker mode before that year’s state election.
The Hong Kong-owned energy provider first applied for, and was granted, a oneyear extension for a development application by State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) in February 2019, but now it wants another two years as it searches for ways to underwrite the investment.
In November last year, Alinta Energy representatives presented their case for an extension at an Adelaide Plains Council meeting, before elected members resolved in December to not change its stance on the project and provide no further comment to the SCAP.
A spokesperson for Alinta Energy said delays associated with the project related to the project’s investment case, not because of local resistance.
“We’re seeking a two-year extension on the development approval because we’re still working on underwriting for the project – both via power purchase agreements with large customers and as a project shortlisted for the Federal Government’s Underwriting New Generation Investment (UNGI) program,” the spokesperson said.
“While the project has been shortlisted for the UNGI program, support is not guaranteed, so we’re continuing to work with customers and other stakeholders to resolve the investment case and progress the project in the meantime.”
Local residents were quick to oppose the development among concerns the plant would negatively impact the surrounding environment and property prices.
Greens Legislative Council member Mark Parnell also opposed the development approval and questioned how the decision was made by then-planning minister John Rau.
Speaking to The Bunyip regarding Alinta’s development extension application, Mr Parnell said it “doesn’t surprise him”.
"Smart investors are looking beyond fossil fuel projects to more sustainable alternatives such as renewable energy,” he said.
“It is also not surprising that when private finance is hard to find, the fossil fuel generators look to the government to bail them out.
“We need to be weaning ourselves off fossil fuels, not further entrenching our economy in unsustainable activities that harm the climate.”
