Origin strikes out at News Corp misinformation and “woke cowboy capitalist” slur

Australian energy giant Origin Energy has taken the extraordinary step of striking out against a News Corp commentary piece – under the title of “woke cowboy capitalists” – that accused it of rejecting offers to buy or lease the Eraring coal generator it plans to close early.

Australian conservatives, and the reactionary right wing Murdoch media in particular, have had a hard time trying to get their collective minds around the fact that the country is transitioning from coal to renewables.

Since Origin’s decision 10 days ago to set a 2025 closure date for the 2.,88GW Eraring coal generator, rather than 2032 (subject to union and workers’ agreement), the Murdoch media has been relentless in claiming it would push prices up and lead to blackouts.

The decision by tech-billionaire Mike CannonBrookes and the Canadian asset management giant Brookfield to bid for AGL Energy, and also seek  an accelerated closure of its remaining coal fired generators, has only increased their angst and intensified the scare campaign.

Peta Credlin, the Sky News host and The Australian columnist who was chief of staff when Tony Abbott was prime minister, took aim against both Origin and Cannon-Brookes in a piece entitled “Beware power of the woke cowboy capitalists.

Credlin claimed that Origin had rejected offers from the state government to sell or lease the Eraring coal generator.

Origin says that claim is wrong.

“Origin did not receive, nor did it reject, any offer to buy or lease Eraring,” it said in a letter to The Australian newspaper, and which it published on its media page.

“Origin engaged in extensive, and constructive, consultation with the state government over many months to explore various options for the plant’s future, however no agreement could be reached with both parties ultimately comfortable that new capacity coming online is expected to more than compensate for Eraring’s exit.

“We acknowledge not everyone will agree with our proposed new timeline for exiting coal-fired generation, but it reflects the rapidly changing National Electricity Market as more renewables enter the market, impacting on the demand for baseload power.”

Credlin’s article claimed that “it’s impossible to reduce emissions drastically while keeping the lights on 24/7 because wind and solar power are cheap only when the wind blows and the sun shines.”

Which, of course, is also nonsense. South Australia has shown how emissions can be slashed, and coal replaced by wind and solar, and gas consumption reduced to. It is enjoying a 62 per cent share of wind and solar in its grid and is well on the way to 100 per cent renewables.

The Australian Energy Market Operator, in its Integrated System Plan, outlines how the whole main grid can shift to 100 per cent renewables, lower prices and maintain reliability.

Credlin’s next observation was accurate, even if it was unpalatable to conservatives and their mates in the fossil fuel industry: “Too much intermittent, weather-dependent power dam­ages the economics of baseload power, especially from coal.”

Which is why conservatives have sought to stop wind and solar in its tracks, during Abbott’s reign and through current energy minister Angus Taylor, who has repeatedly moaned there is “too much wind and solar” in the grid.

Note: Woke refers to being aware or well informed in a political or cultural sense. Conservatives think possessing this knowledge and awareness is a very, very bad thing. So they use it as an insult.