The plans to build a 700MW million power plant on Canyonleigh Road at Brayton was originally proposed back in 2008. 

It had a local resident action group – the Dairy Road Community Alliance – up in arms against it.

The site was initially selected because of its proximity to the existing TransGrid switchyard and the Moomba to Sydney gas pipeline. 

But recent statements online by Energy Australia have thrown some doubt on whether it is going ahead.  

Before the Goulburn Post contacted the company on Thursday, they had a statement on their website saying: “a decision has been made to put the 700MW Marulan project on hold until electricity demand and wholesale prices improve.” 

The statement said the company had recently reviewed proposed projects in light of “continued falling demand for energy and suppressed wholesale prices.”  

It stated the decision to put the proposed Marulan plant on hold came out of this review.

The statement changed slightly when the Goulburn Post contacted them on Thursday, but they did confirm they are “evaluating the project.”

“We are assessing both our Marulan and Tallawarra B projects, neither are on hold. A final decision will depend on whether the 1800 MW-capacity Liddell power station comes out of the national electricity market as scheduled in 2022,” an EnergyAustralia spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson said the statement on their website was out of date.

“When that statement was made several years ago the national energy market was chronically oversupplied. Now we’re investigating how we might provide new supply for our customers in NSW and fill capacity gaps in the market forecast for only a few years from now,”the spokesperson said. 

The company confirmed it is keeping the current planning approval granted for the site and that projects like Marulan and Tallawarra B have the potential to fill the gap the market will need to replacethe Liddell power station. 

“Gas-fired generation has a role to play providing stability as we integrate more renewable generation into the system,” the EnergyAustralia spokesperson said. 

“We have generation options that already have development approvals including gas-fired projects at Marulan and Tallawarra in NSW with combined capacity of more than 1000 MW.

“These projects are capable of responding quickly to fluctuations in demand and providing secure and affordable supply for large numbers of households and businesses across the state, and nationally.

“We are currently evaluating both projects. A final decision will depend on whether the 1800 MW-capacity Liddell power station comes out of the national electricity market as scheduled in 2022.

“If these projects proceed past an initial assessment, we will hold new community information sessions.

“The reality is that projects like Marulan and Tallawarra B  can only proceed with the support of the community.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Dairy Road Community Alliance Ken McNally said residents welcomed the delays in the project. 

“This will be received as very good news,” he said.

“We have been vigilant in opposition to this and we are ready to take up the fight again if needed.

“We have been keeping a close eye on the energy front and we are very pleased to see that over the past five years there has been a definite shift in community perceptions in relation to the importance of renewable energy as opposed to gas and coal-powered energy.

“We are ready to respond in opposition to this again.”