financial difficulty and has been trying to exit the joint venture for a year. Before Verve's decision on refurbishment, a number of private companies which were offered to buy the power station concluded it would be too risky. A & B unit mothballing On 25 June 2013, after spending $250 million on the planned recommissioning of units A and B, Premier Colin Barnett shelved the project. Barnett told Parliament that no further work would be done on the generators for the time being, saying "The government has made a decision with respect to Muja A and B units; three and four continue to operate, units one and two are basically mothballed." However, the government pressed ahead in September claiming the cost of refurbishment can be recouped over the 15-year expected life of the plant even though it has ballooned to A$308 million. In a report by KPMG, to continue the project would cost a further A$46 million, and return A$54 million in value over ten years, assuming the A$290 million spent was written off. In the following months the work was completed quietly and as of 2014 the Muja A and B units are used intermittently, primarily during summer peak times. In November 2014, part of the wall surrounding water cooling tower of Unit 7 collapsed. In September 2017, Synergy announced imminent closure of Muja A and B because the necessary repair of cooling towers deemed it commercially unviable. The 2018/19 state budget presented by treasurer Ben Wyatt for Western Australia in May 2018 allocates $48.1 million to work at Muja Stages C and D. This work includes "$6 million on the refurbishment of the Stage C Turbine and replacement of associated components" and "$4.2 million on an upgrade to electrical switchboards for Stages C and D". On 5 August 2019, Synergy announced that Stage C of Muja Power Station Stage C Unit 5 and Stage C Unit 6 The two units in Stage D will remain operational until 2029. References External links Verve Energy page on Muja Power Station Muja Power Station in the NPI Coal-fired power stations in Western Australia Collie, Western Australia