The Federal Large-Scale RET has just claimed another scalp in the shape of 1,600MW of reliable base-load plant at Hazelwood, Victoria – as well as more than 1,000 well-paid blue-collar jobs and an entire regional community.

That loss follows hot on the heels of the breathtakingly stupid decision by South Australia’s hapless Labor government to reject, out of hand, offers by Alinta to keep its Port Augusta plant up and running.

While Labor is keeping the terms of what was offered under wraps (fighting freedom of information applications being pursued by SA Liberals and the media), STT’s SA operatives inform us that the owners of Port Augusta, Alinta would have accepted around $27 million to keep its plant running for another 5 years, representing the dismissal of what would have been a canny investment – compared with the $550 million of taxpayers’ money that Weatherill is determined to throw at a