Jay Weatherill’s dirty diesel dozen: the actual solution to his power debacle.

But for pride, arrogance and hubris SA’s vapid Premier, Jay Weatherill could have kept South Australia chugging away cheaply on coal-fired power for a paltry $30 million; the amount that Alinta wanted to keep its 520 MW Port Augusta power plant running for another five years or so.

In a fit of petulance, Weatherill rejected that offer and, instead, determined to throw $550 million of taxpayers’ money at diesel fuelled jet engines (open cycle gas turbines, which can be run on diesel or gas) and a mega-battery delivered on time (but not without drama) by Californian carpetbagger, Elon Musk.

The battery will go down as one of history’s most expensive political vanity projects, while the actual work will be done by his dirty diesels.

Irony is an art form which requires a well-tuned intellect to detect. Apparently, the…