Nearly three-quarters of Australia's electricity generation is coal-dependent with fossil fuel-led electricity contributing to over a third of Australia's CO2 emissions. Climate change imperatives are calling for permanent shifts to these patterns, leading to early closure announcements of several coal-fired power plants across the country. Although the pace and scale of the energy transition are unprecedented, the closure of large-scale industries is not uncommon. The most recent closure in Australia's industrial past that remains vivid in the nation's collective memory was the end of nearly 70 years of automotive manufacturing.

Drawing on expert consultations, and applying just transitions and transition management thinking, this paper identifies four key insights from the auto sector closure experience. These offer compelling pointers to guide socio-economic transformations in frontline regions that are likely to face challenging, often deeply personal, impacts resulting from the closure of coal-fired power stations over the coming decades.

Highlights

Phasing out coal-fired power is inevitable, but a deeply complex process from a social-institutional standpoint.

The nature of the coal-fired power transition is comparable to the automotive industry closures observed in Australia's recent industrial past.

This paper draws on just transitions and the transition management analytical frameworks.

Four key insights offer pointers for policymakers to support the transition away from coal-fired power in Australia and globally.