Solar thermal was first proposed by renewable energy advocates, Beyond Zero Emissions and has gained strong support by Port Augusta locals and leaders.

The idea has now been embraced by Alinta Energy, who is exploring replacement options if Playford is closed as part of the federal government’s buyout of dirty power stations, in which the company put its hand up to participate in.

So far, gas has dominated discussions as an alternative power source, but in an interview with The Transcontinental, Alinta Energy chief executive officer Jeff Dimery said solar thermal had been identified as the most practical solution.

“We looked at all available options in reducing emissions of Playford and Northern and the way we would do that is by improving the performance of the plant as it stands today if at all possible.

“The issue with moving to a gas fired power station is there is no gas at Port Augusta and so, in order to deliver a gas fired station somebody needs to build a gas pipeline.

For more of this story see this week's edition of the Transcontinental newspaper.