The only saving grace appears to be that, according to an environmental impact statement, the larger of the two plants, to be constructed at Kurri Kurri in a NSW government-held seat and announced only days out from a byelection, is not likely to be turned on more than seven or eight days a year.

That, however, is one of the reasons many energy experts are describing both the Kurri Kurri plant and the Tallawarra B open-cycle gas plant announced in last week's budget as poor investments, with some going so far as to say they are a waste of money.

According to Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott, gas is "expensive power". Schott said a taxpayer-funded gas plant made little commercial sense given the abundance of cheaper options flooding the market.

The decision not to announce Kurri Kurri, the planning for which was apparently well advanced, in last week's budget was clearly motivated by political considerations. The Morrison and Berejiklian governments will be hoping the news will help tip the scales in the fiercely contested Upper Hunter byelection, which was called following the March resignation of Nationals MP Michael Johnsen after allegations he had raped a sex worker.

If the Coalition loses the seat, it could push Ms Berejiklian dangerously close to minority government. Both the Nationals and Labor have adopted a pro-fossil-fuel stance, with NSW opposition leader Jodi Mackay saying coal would be a part of the local economy "forever".

All of this explains why the spanking new $600 million investment - which will only create 10 new jobs once it is finished - ended up in the "decisions taken but not yet announced" category.

The government argues the two new power stations are needed in order to ensure security of electricity supply after the coal-powered Liddell power station is decommissioned in 2023.

The Prime Minister has been saying since last year that this would create a 1000-megawatt energy shortfall and lead to a 30 per cent increase in NSW power prices.

And, according to Energy Minister Angus Taylor, "cheap power is crucial to ensuring families, businesses and job-creating industries in NSW can thrive, which is why we are committed to replacing the energy generated by Liddell to keep prices down".

The trouble is that, as is so often the case when this government makes big decisions on energy and climate change, the expert opinion is at odds with what it wants to do.

While the Australian Energy Market Operator has said an additional six to 19 gigawatts of new dispatchable generation would be needed over the next 20 years, it also said this could be obtained from a range of sources such as batteries, pumped hydro and demand management. All of these were expected to be cheaper than the gas option.

The Kurri Kurri announcement came within hours of the release of a report by the International Energy Agency which said "radical changes" are needed if the world is to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

"If we want to reach net-zero by 2050 we do not need any more investments in new oil, gas, and coal projects," it said.

That is a pretty unequivocal position to adopt. The Coalition has now reached a point where it could not be more out of step with informed opinion on energy and climate policy if it tried.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: