The Victorian government will launch an inquiry into the early closure of the Yallourn coal-fired power station in the Latrobe Valley after state MP Melina Bath called for a report (pdf) into the economic impact of the power station’s shutdown. EnergyAustralia, the owner of Yallourn Power Station, originally announced the facility would close in 2032—but on March 10, this was revised, with the new date brought forward four years to 2028. Yallourn is a key energy generator of Victoria, currently supplying 22 percent of Victoria’s electricity and 8 percent of the national market. Bath is concerned about the shortened time span after the sudden closure of the Victorian Hazelwood power station—a neighbouring coal-fired station shut down in 2017—which had serious effects on the state’s economy. The Hazelwood station was forced to cease operations with only a 6-month warning after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews imposed heavy taxation on carbon emissions, forcing Hazelwood to …