The $550million power plant

has been announced. I suppose we were all waiting for it. 
It's all part of the careful planning by the state government - the careful planning for the next election that is.
The state has been beset by power problems for years now. People still try and blame the sell off of the state owned electricity supply back in the last century. Oh yes, the opposition did that so it's convenient to suggest  they are responsible for all the mess. Really?
It might actually have more to do with the collapse of the State Bank. Most of the blame for that was laid at the feet of the bank's managing director  but the government of the day was also heavily involved. Money had to be found and found quickly. The new government had no choice in the end. We haven't finished paying for the mismanagement yet.
But yesterday there was "the announcement". We would, the premier announced, be "going it alone" with a "new, gas fired power station". It would be built with $550m of "surplus" funds from the budget.
There are all sorts of problems with this announcement. It may not be possible to "go it alone" even if the funds were there. If it had been it might have been done some time ago. There might not be the gas available to fire the plant - and it certainly won't be available without breaking some big contracts to supply other places. The money isn't there either. The "surplus" doesn't exist. It will simply be taken from other parts of the budget - mostly from areas where people need it the most but don't have the political clout to make much impact if they complain. 
There is a real danger that, like the expensive "desalination" plant a gas fired power plant won't get used. 
But, it all sounds good. It might get the government re-elected next March.