States quickly agree on approval for more work to be done on National Energy Guarantee. But concerns remain about the emissions target, and new analysis that suggests the electricity sector is being asked to address just 5 per cent of required reductions.
“Even if the Energy Security Board gives Malcolm Turnbull a Rolls Royce model of energy policy, it’s not going to be of much use to the country if he immediately seeks to put it in the garage and lock it up for 10 years.”
Alan Jones says Craig Kelly should be energy minister. In effect, he already is, because the Coalition’s woeful policy is a craven attempt to pacify the right wing. Despite the NEG, or maybe because of it, a bipartisan approach to energy and climate is as elusive as ever.
NSW has raised $38 billion from energy asset sales, yet has reinvested not a single dollar – despite facing the fact that most of its coal fired power stations will close in the next 14 years.
ESB makes major concessions, dropping push for physical contracts on emissions, and a “light touch” reliability obligation. However, major policy issues are addressed in separate government document that even the ESB had not seen.
ACT says it won’t be bullied on the NEG by Coalition. “We need to get a good outcome, not just any old outcome,” it says – just as the Coalition’s hard right warns against any slippage in the NEG’s proposed stifling of renewables.
The New South Wales state government has given planning approval for the Liverpool Range wind farm, which at more than 1,000MW could be the biggest in the country.
NSW is expected to overtake Queensland as biggest market for rooftop solar and will have 50 per cent more capacity than any other state by the mid-2030s.
NSW says three regional energy zones could host 77,000MW of wind and solar capacity – enough to meet demands of modern energy system.
NSW pricing regulator flags a cut to state’s solar feed-in tariff, linked to fall in wholesale power prices rooftop solar helped deliver.
Sydney Markets adds another 2.2MW PV array to take total rooftop solar capacity to more than 3MW, says there’s room to go bigger.
