Coalition dances around renewables commitment – again

The politics over renewable energy get bleaker by the moment. As the election date gets closer and a change of government grows more likely, the voices of the pro-coal and anti-renewable interests are becoming more strident and, it would seem, finding larger cracks in the Coalition’s supposed “bipartisan” support for renewable energy.

On Thursday, Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey refused to support the ongoing funding of renewable energy developments, saying the electorate would have to “wait and see” its policies on support measures for wind and solar power.

In an interview with the anti-wind and anti-carbon tax campaigner Alan Jones, which you can listen to here, Hockey was put on the spot several times about ongoing support for renewables, but would not be drawn on the extent of that support because he had “only just seen the budget papers.”

“Why are you subsidising these people,” Jones asked. To which Hockey replied:

“Alan, I need to consult with my colleagues about the state of the budget.”

Later, asked again why the government would “cover the cost” of wind and solar power, Hockey said: “Well, please wait and see on that Alan.”

Hockey may simply have been ducking the question, but the exchange was symptomatic of the sort of pressure the Coalition is under – both from within its own ranks in state and federal levels, and from outside business interests – over support for renewables.

There is increasing concern in the industry that the Opposition will pave way for the Renewable Energy Target to be diluted, under pressure from state governments, utilities and generators worried about sliding profits from their coal and gas generators, and noisy anti-renewable lobbies promoted by the likes of Jones.

This was more or less confirmed by EnergyAustralia this week, which said that it would “wait and see” the result of the election and the decisions taken afterwards. Renewable energy developers says commercial financing support for large scale renewables has dried up pending the result of the election, because no new power purchase agreements are being signed.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott reaffirmed in his budget reply on Thursday night that the carbon tax will be repealed, and the $10 billion Clean Energy Finance Corp,  will be dissolved. The fate of both  will be decided by the make-up of the Senate.

The Coalition is in favour of yet another review of the RET, and has expressed sympathy for the argument of utilities that the target should be diluted because of falling demand.

The Climate Change Authority last year rejected those arguments when it said the fixed target of 41,000GWh should be retained, adding that there was a need for investment certainty, and having more than 20 per cent renewables was a good thing – seeing as that is where the country is inevitably headed in any case. Abbott has promised to dissolve the CCA as well.

Abbott’s Coalition is littered with anti-wind members, many of whom are apparently going to speak against wind farms at a rally planned for Canberra on June 18.

Organisers of the rally anticipate a repeat of the notorious anti-carbon tax rally last year. Jones, who continues to rail against the global warming “hoax” and the “demonisation” of coal-fired generation, and is celebrating the recent election success of the anti-renewables UKIP in Britain, will, of course, be MC of the new rally, as he was at the anti-carbon tax rally.

The organisers of the rally claim Coalition politicians such as Craig Kelly, Chris Back and Alby Shultz have already agreed to speak, and others are being sought. Senators John Madigan and Nick Xenophon, who may hold the balance of power in the Senate and who would be tempted to use wind energy as a bargaining tool, are also said to be confirmed speakers, along with various private anti-wind campaigners, and Alan Moran of the conservative think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs.

The views of Moran, and other conservatives, were revealed in this report “Australia’s energy future: The scary vision of the right” from a debate at the Clean Energy Week in Sydney last July.

Note:  Jones complains about the “demonisation” of coal, and the Australian mining magnates he supports insist on pushing ahead with massive coal mines in Queensland. But it seems the biggest problem the industry faces is a lack of demand. We’ve noted this before, but this week, this was reinforced by reports from China that imported coal is sitting unwanted and clogging up the country’s biggest ports.

Deutsche Bank energy analysts said this was due to “weak coal demand all over China” which had been apparent since late last year. Indeed, half the coal companies in one region of Mongolia had ceased production of thermal coal because of falling prices, and most small coal mines in Shanxi Province had also closed, Deutsche Bank reported.

Comments

10 responses to “Coalition dances around renewables commitment – again”

  1. howardpatr Avatar
    howardpatr

    Ninety seven percent of scientists with involvement in climate science believe in anthropengenic climate change but Tony Abbott and the majority of the Coalition wish the nation would turn its back on the issue of renewable energy.

    It is a shame that Gillard has never come across as really understanding the science and the magnitude of the issue for the planet. If she did she might have effectively made this issue a major point of differentiation bewteen the ALP and the Coalition.

    Combet can do his best but at this stage Gillard and Swan are more like monkeys on his back.

    I wonder if Combet argued for a minimum price for carbon dioxide pollution until the EU trading mechanism starts doing what was envisaged to do but Swan and Gillard thought political games were more important than the Government being seen to take an aggressive stand?

    1. Kim Grierson Avatar
      Kim Grierson

      I think the big problem here is media ownership by a small number of people Murdoch et al who prevent climate change, renewable energy and the government from getting any sort of fair representation.

      I don’t see Gillard and Swan as the problems but rather the lack of accurate information in the mainstream media. The effect is to mislead us or redirect our attention for eg the endless months of leader crisis speculation when nothing actually happened. Meanwhile real items couldn’t get media attention.

      Why is Alan Jones allowed to mislead the public with lines like the government “covering the cost? of wind and solar when that is clearly not what is happening or proposed to happen.

      1. Concerned Avatar
        Concerned

        Well who covers the cost?

        1. Kim Grierson Avatar
          Kim Grierson

          They set up as businesses selling power.

          1. Concerned Avatar
            Concerned

            Do not understand.

  2. James Fisher Avatar

    It is hard to see how anyone could be bullish about our coal exports.

    China mines domestically more than 10 times the volume we export and is all but self sufficient. With their planned reduction in domestic usage they will soon become a major exporter. This will severely impact the international coal price. It is pretty simple to see that coal is a bubble about to burst.

    Coal for domestic power is not relevant as the mines are specific to the power stations and contracted under long term commitments at very low prices relative to the international price.

    1. Concerned Avatar
      Concerned

      They do not mine coking coal.

  3. Dan Spencer Avatar
    Dan Spencer

    The coalition and Nick Xenophon have something to answer for if they are seen speaking at this….

  4. genie81 Avatar
    genie81

    I do not support wind power but am not anti renewable energy. Some forms should be looked at but not wind as its too expensive and as wind is intermittent not reliable and controversial worldwide. Coal may be a form used in the future without the CO2 emissions as technology improves. Wind has had around 30 years to improve but all that happens is they are built bigger not better. I do not think we can keep on destroying the planet with CO 2 emissions and as for climate change we cannot say its not true or true without independent research. I agree that RECs should be terminated as the companies take the money and run back to their country of origin. Its not money for Australia just more debt.

    1. Kim Grierson Avatar
      Kim Grierson

      You should read the RenewEconomy articles. Wind power is the cheapest new energy generation in Australia- Bloomberg Energy Finance. It may be intermittant but it is predictable and is placed in windy locations. It is reliable and well accepted world wide. Look at the wind turbines in the North Sea in Europe- financed by 5 countries. They use the excess power they produce to split hydrogen off the water molecule to create extra energy and waste none. The City of Sydney is planning to have the same arrangement outside Sydney Heads in the future. Take a look at what they have already done- it is quite impressive and economic.

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