The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has granted an exemption to AGL Macquarie Pty Limited (AGL) from notice of closure requirements in the National Electricity Rules in relation to the Hunter Valley Gas Turbines (HVGTS).
On 13 October 2021, AGL submitted an application to provide a closure date of 1 January 2022 for HVGTS.
After assessing the performance of HVGTS, and consulting with the Australian Energy Market Operator, the AER has approved AGL’s request. HVGTS is currently inoperable and has not generated into the market since early 2020. Granting exemption for AGL to close HVGTS early will provide clarity to AEMO and the market regarding the generator’s future.
Generators are required to provide a minimum 42 months’ notice of their intention to close, unless granted exemption by the AER. The AER’s Generator notice of closure exemption guideline sets out our approach to handling exemption requests.