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Latrobe City demands assurance on mine rehabilitationLatrobe City Council is demanding immediate assurance from ENGIE and the State Government that the cost of rehabilitating the Hazelwood Power Station and Mine, will not fall the ratepayers. By Portal Admin - 23rd January 2017 - Back to News Latrobe City Council is demanding immediate assurance from ENGIE and the State Government that the cost of rehabilitating the Hazelwood Power Station and Mine, as well as the long term maintenance and upkeep of the Morwell Main Drain, will not fall to ratepayers.
Mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callagan said the looming closure and the rapid escalation in rehabilitation costs was causing anxiety within the community.
"It has been with considerable shock and alarm the Latrobe City community has awoken to the media reports that the total cost of rehabilitation of the Hazelwood Power Station and Mine will be in the order of $743 million," Cr O’Callaghan said.
"The Latrobe City community has an unenviable history of dilapidated industrial assets left abandoned by companies whose first priorities are to protect their balance sheets and shareholders.
"We will today write to both ENGIE and the State Government demanding assurances that the cost of remediating this asset will never fall to this community.
"We will be seeking assurances that the cost of the Morwell Main Drain, already determined by the Courts to be the asset of ENGIE, also won’t be left to languish and ultimately become the Latrobe City ratepayers' burden.
"ENGIE must meet all costs of rehabilitation. This rehabilitation must be planned, implemented and completed to a standard acceptable to this community.
"For more than 90 years our community has lived alongside this mine - this community has every right to demand that this site, now at the end of its commercial life, be repurposed to be a shared community asset.
"We will accept nothing less and we urgently seek assurances from ENGIE and the State Government that this financial burden will never be transferred to the ratepayers of Latrobe City."
Media Enquiries:
Cr Kellie O’Callaghan, Latrobe City Mayor
Telephone: 0400 696 324
Cr Graeme Middlemiss, Latrobe City Deputy Mayor
Telephone: 0417 379 059
Media Relations Office
Telephone: 5128 5458
For general enquiries, contact Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: support@gippsland.com
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