Torrens Island B (EIJP) - Collie Power Station WA

Question

Collie Power Station, a 340 MW coal-fired station in Western Australia owned by the state utility Synergy, is scheduled to close in October 2027. The 1. Net Zero Economy Authority is consulting on whether to apply the Energy Industry Jobs Plan (EIJP) to the closure. a. When will the Authority decide whether to apply the EIJP to the full Collie closure? b. Will the Authority apply to the Fair Work Commission for a determination before October 2027? c. Workers at Torrens Island B received a Fair Work Commission determination in November 2025, around two years before that station's 2028 closure. If the Authority decides now to apply for an EIJP determination for Collie, how much lead time would Collie workers have, compared with Torrens Island workers? 2. In April 2025 the Authority assessed the Muja C Unit 6 closure and decided not to conduct a formal EIJP process, citing existing supports from Synergy and the Western Australian Government. a. What were those existing supports, and how do they compare with what Torrens Island workers will receive under the EIJP? b. If the Authority can decline to apply the EIJP where existing supports are deemed adequate, what is the standard for ''adequate,'' and is there a published framework for that assessment? 3. Synergy is reported to be spending $278 million subsidising its coal plants through to closure, and the Western Australian Government has committed $660 million to Collie transition programs. a. If those existing supports are substantial, does the Commonwealth EIJP add meaningful value, or does it duplicate state-funded support? 4. Collie operates on Western Australia's South-West Interconnected System, not the National Electricity Market. a. Does the Net Zero Economy Authority Act apply identically in Western Australia as in National Electricity Market states? b. Is there any jurisdictional complexity in applying the EIJP to a Western Australian state-owned generator?

Answer

See attached response.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• BI-042_Liddle_Collie Power Station WA_NZEA.pdf (opens in a new tab)