Lake Macquarie council has called on Origin Energy and the NSW government to ensure there is no net loss of jobs in the region as the Eraring Power Station transitions away from burning coal.
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The elected council unanimously supported the mayoral minute put up by Kay Fraser on Monday following the announcement that Eraring would bring forward its closure by seven years to 2025.
The minute also asked for agreement and implementation of remediation plans to prevent any negative environmental legacy from the plant's operations and for state and federal governments to guarantee the "safe, reliable and affordable supply of electricity to out locals, state and national communities is assured".
Cr Fraser said she was "absolutely shocked" that the closure was brought forward seven years, impacting 228 direct employees and 200 contractors.
"However the flow on impacts in our community will be far greater," she said.
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She said the council had been working towards the transition to renewables, so it was important to make sure the "highly skilled" and "highly paid" jobs weren't lost from the community forever.
Deputy mayor Jason Pauling said the early closure will cause "some potentially unforeseen impacts on our community".
"Certainly those employees who work there and live in the city but some of those second, third tier businesses that rely on those people in terms of spending and/or supporting the operation of the power station," he said.
It is also crucial to ensure the continued supply of baseload power in "whatever form", Cr Pauling said.
"This isn't an argument about environmental or otherwise, this is about lights coming on when we need them to be on," he said.
He said the matter made him think of his time at BHP when its closure was announced.
"That was an incredibly unsettling time for many of the people there," Cr Pauling said. "Not knowing where skillsets would be used, not knowing what they would do with their lives from that point forward. And I think that's part of the potential tragedy that could be missed if not handled well."
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