The right-wing Liberal/National coalition government has said it plans to build a gas-fired power plant of up to 1GW in Kurri Kurri through state-owned utility Snowy Hydro to make up for the 2GW of baseload generating capacity the area will lose when the nearby Liddell coal-fired power station is closed in 2023. But this gas facility may not be financially viable if the 1.2GW battery — which will be charged by local solar power — gets the go-ahead. The issue has a large political dimension. The federal government is pushing for greater use of natural gas in electricity generation, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison telling journalists last year that there was “no credible energy transition plan for an economy like Australia that does not involve the greater use of gas”.