It’s been revealed the federal government is attempting to persuade AGL to keep the Muswellbrook coal-fired facility open for another five years after its scheduled closure date of 2022.

But, Hunter MP Mr Fitzgibbon said Mr Turnbull’s comments risked raising false hope among those who work in the industry.

“No one would be happier than me if the future of coal-fired generation in the Hunter could be extended; but not one energy company has shown any interest,” he said.

“My advice is that the Prime Minster has misled the community by deliberately and desperately describing a ‘request’ he made of AGL to extend the life of Liddell power station as a ‘discussion’.

“Indeed, AGL CEO Andy Vesey has tweeted in response to the Mr Turnbull’s claim and has clearly contradicted his statement.

“We know AGL slapped down Barnaby Joyce when he raised the question of building new clean-coal generators.

“He was told it was too expensive, would take too long, and the company wouldn’t ask its shareholders to risk it.

“It’s even more unlikely AGL - which has been running television commercials promoting its withdrawal from coal generation - would invest the money needed to extend Liddell.”

Mr Fitzgibbon said Australia was confronting an energy crisis.

“It is now more than five years since Tony Abbott unravelled what John Howard, Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard said they would do: place a price on carbon,” he explained.

“Because of Mr Abbott’s intervention and Mr Turnbull’s refusal to embrace the Clean Energy Target, investment in all forms of energy generation capacity has fallen dramatically.

“It’s past time Mr Turnbull acted to end the investment drought by joining Labor in embracing the Finkel review recommendations in full.”

Greens NSW energy spokesperson Mr Buckingham also weighed in on the subject.

“Liddell power station is one of the oldest in the country,” he said.

“Its age means it does not provide the reliable electricity the Prime Minister says he wants to achieve.

“This is about ideology and internal Liberal Party politics, not a coherent energy policy.”

Mr Buckingham said the AEMO Report made it clear the answer to the energy problems was large scale investment in renewable energy with storage.

“Only a Luddite could read that report and want to prop up an unreliable 50-year old coal-fired power station,” he added.

“The NSW Government should make it clear to the Prime Minister that this is not a sensible strategy.

“It is tragic that the lack of direction and coherent policy from the federal government is causing power prices to rise and investment uncertainty in Australia at the very moment when technological advancement and global climate policies are driving a clean energy revolution.

“AGL and the other major energy companies have made it very clear they do not want to invest in coal-fired power and want a stable policy environment that allows them to make the transformation to renewable energy and storage.

“AGL has been building its public reputation on the impending closure of Liddell power station.

“This push to keep an ancient coal-fired power station going demonstrates that the Liberal Party is far behind the experts, the regulators, the energy companies, and public opinion when it comes to energy policy.

“The science of climate change means we must rapidly phase out coal from our energy mix.  

“In Australia, this means closing an average of one coal-fired power station every year. 

“Australian governments should be working together to implement a strategy for an orderly transition from coal, but instead we have a weak Prime Minister trying to demonstrate his fealty to the Luddites and climate science deniers in his own party, and the fossil fuel lobby.”