HUNDREDS of workers at the Hazelwood power ­station will finish their last shift over the following days as they shut down the plant’s eight units.

The workers will begin receiving their redundancy payments — which total more than $300,000 for some long-term staff — over the following weeks, the Herald Sun reports.

About 750 Hazelwood workers, comprising 450 ­direct workers and 300 contractors, will be jobless after the plant is shut down.

media_camera Powering down: Unit controller John Soles in the control room at Hazelwood. Picture: Getty Images

Three of the plant’s units were shut down yesterday, three will be turned off today and the last two will go ­offline on Wednesday.

The boilers will then undergo a cooling down period over Thursday and Friday, with the complex decommissioning process taking place over the next year.

Of the direct employees, 135 will stay on to assist with the decommissioning of the plant and rehabilitation of the associated mine, which will cost at least $743 million.

Read more at the Herald Sun