Solar and wind could bring ‘jobs boom’ to regions that have previously depended on coal, Australian Conservation Foundation says
The Eraring coal-fired power station in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales is scheduled to close in 2025.
A new report by the Australian Conservation Foundation estimates if the electricity output of the station was replaced entirely with rooftop solar it would create 63,562 construction jobs.
The same amount replaced by solar farms would create 14,415 jobs and windfarms 13,339 jobs.
New fossil fuel generation lagged behind clean options, with gas creating the lowest number of construction jobs at 1,566. New coal-fired power plants would create an estimated 8,576 jobs.
