Australia's newest coal-fired power plant is set to close by 2029. 

Bluewaters power station is Australia's newest coal-fired generator and Western Australia's only privately owned coal-fired power station. 

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has suggested the 440MW plant near Collie, 180km south of Perth, will retire by 2029. Bluewaters only began operating in 2009, and has been wracked with problems ever since.

The WA government last year announced that the two remaining state-owned coal plants will be closed at the same time. 

The state had to rely on a taxpayer-funded bailout of the broke coal mine supplying Bluewaters, but says the funds will not be used to repay the debts owed to foreign lenders.

AEMO has forecast a major bump in demand for gas-fired power generation from 2030 as coal retirements take effect.

The WA Government's plan is for  state-owned power utility Synergy to shutter the 340MW Collie A coal plant in 2027 followed by the bigger Muja plant in 2029, and AEMO says it has also “assumed that Bluewaters power station retires at the same time as the Muja units”.

It also predicts miner South32 will replace coal with gas as part of the industrial process at its Worsley Alumina refinery near Collie.