Latest news with #LilyDAmbrosio
ABC News
8 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Collapse at Yallourn Power Station leaves unit offline for weeks
A unit at Yallourn Power Station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley is expected to be offline for weeks following a major incident at the weekend. Power station operator EnergyAustralia said in a statement an air duct in unit three collapsed during maintenance, detaching from the boiler end and falling to the floor. No-one was injured and WorkSafe was notified. EnergyAustralia said it expected the unit to be offline for at least two weeks and it was investigating the incident "to ensure the integrity of similar equipment". WorkSafe said in a statement its inspectors would determine any further action needed at Yallourn. The outage comes after a Reliability Watch report released last month found Yallourn Power Station had the highest breakdown rate of any of Gippsland's coal-fired power stations. Yallourn recorded 18 breakdowns between October 2024 and March 2025 when only five outages had been planned, according to the report. Most of the outages included in the analysis happened at unit four. Yallourn Power Station is the oldest of the remaining coal-fired facilities in the Latrobe Valley. It originally consisted of six plants, with the first built in 1921. Today just one of the six — built in 1974 — remains and generates about 22 per cent of Victoria's electricity each year. The power station is set to close in 2028. The ABC contacted the Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action and Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D'Ambrosio for comment.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$400 cash boost available for these Aussies in weeks: ‘Take back control'
A new $400 rebate will soon be available to Victorian households who install an efficient hot water system that's made in Australia. The cost-of-living measure is designed to boost local manufacturing and encourage households to switch to efficient hot water systems. The initiative will start on July 1 and will be on top of the existing rebate of up to $1,000 available for Aussies who upgrade or replace old water systems with electric or solar systems. That means households can get a higher rebate of up to $1,400. Installing a heat pump hot water system alone can save a household up to $330 a year on electricity bills, according to the Victorian government. Hot water systems account for up to 30 per cent of total energy use. RELATED Centrelink cash boost over 400,000 Aussies have weeks left to confirm Centrelink payment change happening next week: 'Will increase' Major Coles move to take on Chemist Warehouse, Bunnings, Amazon Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D'Ambrosio said the initiative would make it cheaper to install quality local products, while supporting local jobs. "We're on the side of Victorians — helping families cut energy costs and take back control of their bills,' she said. "We know there is a strong history of locally manufactured hot water products. We want to make sure local jobs are supported and that money spent in Victoria stays in Victoria." Manufacturers and unions will be consulted ahead of the July 1 rebate kicking in, including on how to define local content. The cost of buying and installing mid-size units typically ranges between $3,000 and $4,000. It comes ahead of electricity price rises on July 1, following the release of the final default market prices. Victoria price changes range from a drop of $26 to an increase of $90 across the five electricity zones operating in the state. The government set aside $30 million in the budget to support an extra 27,000 households installing electric heat pumps and solar hot water systems. The government also announced it would offer a new $100 energy bill rebate to concession cardholders. Victoria's hot water system rebate scheme is run by Solar Victoria. The rebate is 50 per cent of the purchase price of the system, up to the value of $1,000. It is available to households with taxable incomes of less than $210,000 per year, for properties valued under $3 million. The hot water system to be replaced must be at least three years old from the date of purchase. The additional $400 rebate for Australian-made products will be available from July 1. More information on the hot water rebate can be found in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
