Morning mail: coal-fired plants could shut faster, La Niña Omicron warning, bogong moth in decline

Friday: Australia's coal-fired power plants are likely to shut at almost triple the pace now announced. Plus: a moth once famed for blocking out the moon is now listed as endangered

Good morning. Australia's coal-fired power plants are likely to shut more rapidly than expected. The Omicron variant is in 57 countries. And the bogong moth has been added to the endangered species list.

Coal-fired power plants are likely to shut at almost triple the pace now announced, with Victoria's brown coal fleet to be closed in just over a decade and the main electricity grid becoming coal-free by 2043, according to the market operator. The draft Integrated System Plan 2022, an industry blueprint updated every two years and released today, plots how the grid serving eastern Australia will change to meet emissions reduction and market goals. It details four scenarios based on extensive consultation over 18 months. The most probable path, dubbed the step change" option, anticipates a nine-fold increase in large-scale renewable energy.