The government’s proposal to extend the services of the Liddell power station would result in power price hikes, while the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro project would offset extra cost, as stated by a number of analysts as reported by The Guardian.
If the Liddell station were forced into an extended service at the cost of $900 million, the energy will not be cheap and it would likely risk 4000 megawatts of renewable energy that is predicted to enter the energy market. With less competition from renewable sources, obviously, there will be more reliance on gas and we will see prices going up.
If the Snowy 2.0 project pushes through, Liddell would operate at a lower capacity and will offset the impact it would have on renewables investment.
Report state that pumped hydro is likely to replace gas and help the country to switch from traditional fossil fuels to renewables.