Credit:Quinn RooneyMr Turnbull said Hazelwood's closure was a commercial decision taken by its majority owner,French giant Engie,and there was more than enough generation capacity to cover its loss.
"It has been slated for closure for many,many years. The company has decided to close it because the cost of making it safe - the cost of paying for the long-deferred maintenance and to meet work safety requirements - runs into many hundreds of millions of dollars,even to keep it operating after June 30,"he said.
It followed the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO),which runs the National Electricity Market,releasing an unusually strongly-worded statement rejecting the need for government intervention.
Released after the operator gave an update to the federal cabinet energy sub-committee on Thursday night,the statement said the closure of Hazelwood"would not compromise the security of the Victoria electricity system nor the broader National Electricity Market next summer".