This month, Rio Tinto announced plans to bring forward the closure of Gladstone Power Station to 2029, six years ahead of schedule. The move was welcomed by environmental groups, as Gladstone is Queensland’s oldest and largest coal-fired station. It has struggled to compete with emerging renewable generation in recent years and outages have become more frequent.
Switching off the huge Gladstone coal station in 2029 will cause problems: It needs a longer, smarter phase-out
