Australia Shuts Down Biggest Coal-Fired Power Station

French operator Engie announced that Australia's Hazelwood coal-fired power station was shut down on Wednesday. The station, open since 1964, employed 795 people in the La Trobe Valley near Melbourne and generated 1,600 megawatts of electricity. 
It shut down its final power generator on Wednesday, a spokesman for the French operator Engie said, adding "Decommissioning of the mine and power station plant and equipment will begin next week and continue for the next 12 months".
Environmental organizations have described the station as one of the "dirtiest" stations in the world. The power station generated 5.4% of Australia's electricity supply and 25% of the supply for the state of Victoria. 
The closure is expected to devastate the local economy. The state government has promised an injection of more than 300 million Australia dollars (229 million US dollars) to help the affected community. Engie has also set aside 150 million dollars for entitlements to the workers.
Engie announced the closure in November, saying Hazelwood was economically unviable and the company was trying to gradually end all its coal activities to concentrate on low-carbon and renewable energy projects.

Source: QNA