Experts sceptical of Shine Energy’s proposed ‘flexible’ coal power station

A proposed new coal-fired power station at Collinsville in north Queensland is now being pitched as a "flexible" firming project - a pivot that neatly aligns with federal government moves to bankroll such plans.

The federal government controversially gave Shine Energy $3.3m in 2020 to conduct a feasibility study into the Collinsville plant. In a press release announcing the grant, government backbencher Michelle Landry said the generator would provide "affordable baseload power".

But information flyers distributed by the company in Collinsville appear to show the company has realised baseload coal plants are no longer viable, given the rapid proliferation of solar and other renewables in the energy grid.

Shine Energy is now using the term "flexible HELE" (high-efficiency, low-emissions) technology to describe the proposed plant.

The Shine Energy flyer said: "The project is being designed to ramp up and down and be placed on standby as directed by the Australian Energy Market Operator."

"[The pre-feasibility study found] the increasing level of renewable generation, and in particular solar generation, has changed the role of coal power plants from baseload to load-following."

Energy analysts said the assessment of the market is essentially correct - that the grid requires some firming capacity to support large-scale renewable generation at times when renewables are not productive.