Tonight, a coalition of environment groups led by Beyond Zero Emissions is publicly launching in Adelaide their plan to Repower Port Augusta.
Port Augusta Regional Council and power station owner Alinta Energy are backing the plan to replace the polluting brown coal power stations Playford and Northern with a mix of solar thermal power and wind energy.
The plan is supported by South Australian campaigners from groups such as Climate Emergency Action Network and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.
A statement from Beyond Zero Emissions explains:
There is currently a battle on between renewable energy and gas for which energy source will replace the brown coal generators. Our research shows that building baseload solar thermal power in Port August will:
- Create 1800 jobs
- Protect the health of the Port Augusta community
- Save 5 million tonnes of CO2 each year
- Result in lower and more stable electricity prices
- Provide energy security for South Australia
Fossil gas will not achieve a single one of the points above. It will result in job losses, continued pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and volatile electricity prices. As Port Augusta Major Joy Baluch says, “Certainly gas is not an option.”
The plan has received coverage on the ABC national news site and on ABC Radio’s AM Program. You can download the full report by Beyond Zero Emissions here (pdf).
yes2renewables.org 
Makes sense!
In 2008, I disconnected from coal based power, replaced it with renewables.
My comfort levels have gone up, my running costs have gone down, and there are no carbon emissions.
It is a simple logic and is readily done. No new untried technologies needed.
I’m sure most Australians would think that closing down the Thomas Playford power station at Pt Augusta (the dirtiest in Oz in terms of CO2 emissions per MWh generated) and replacing it with renewables would be a wonderful idea. But not the local Federal Liberal MP in the Pt Augusta region (ramblingsdc.net/Australia/RowanRamsey.html) even though there is a huge amount of wind power, existing and proposed, in his electorate.