Queensland to hit 50 pct renewables two years early, but warns energy wars only just begun

The Queensland state government says it will meet its 50 per cent renewable energy target two years early, in 2028 rather than 2030, and credits its state ownership of energy assets and transmission lines for the progress.

Queensland’s 50 per cent renewables target ranks among the least ambitious of all the states in Australia’s main grid, the National Electricity Market, but as the state with the heaviest dependence on coal, it also has the most to do.

As recently as 2018 its electricity mix was still 90 per cent coal, and that fell to 70 per cent in 2022 and renewables – mostly wind and solar – reached 22 per cent then and now account for more than 25 per cent (in last financial year).

Queensland now has a series of gigawatt scale renewable projects, including the largest in the main grid (pictured above), and has boosted its renewables target to 70 per cent by 2032 and 80 per cent by 2035, which includes 25GW of new wind and solar and more than 2,000 kms of new transmission lines.

“When we set our 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 people said we couldn’t do it,” deputy premier Stephen Miles said at the Smart Energy Council conference in Brisbane.

“They said a coal producing state like Queensland with almost no large scale renewables, it just wasn’t possible. But now we are ahead of that target. We’re likely to reach it now in 2028.”

Australia has a history of overachieving on renewable targets – the federal renewable energy targets was met well before the 2020 target date, despite warnings from conservative and the Coalition that it couldn’t – but faces a tough task in the new 82 per cent target adopted by the federal Labor government.

The rollout of renewables has been held up by delays in planning, transmission and connection and commissioning, and the Coalition – at federal and state level – is calling for a moratorium on new wind and solar projects in favour of waiting for nuclear.

“The climate wars might be over, but the energy war has just begun,” state energy and hydrogen minister Mick de Brenni told the conference.

“We’ve worked too hard for too long to let Peter Dutton and the Liberals and the Nationals in Queensland back in charge of energy policy.”

He noted the Coalition calls to lift the moratorium on nuclear and to bring new wind and solar projects to a halt.

“The threat is real. They didn’t encourage solar batteries or energy efficiency (when in power last time) and they’ll do the same again.

“The LNP in Queensland have said they will facilitate new coal fired power and the LNP leaders in Canberra have called for a moratorium on renewables but the Palaszczuk government believes in the promise of renewable energy just like you we are on your side. We are on the side of clean, cheap renewables.

Miles said the state will benefit from government ownership of its key assets, which will be critically important in timing the closure of coal fired power stations, and in keeping them operating even if no long profitable, or to be in reserve in the case of delays to long duration storage projects such as pumped hydro.

“While other states have benefited from the super hit of the sell off on their generators, we are definitely benefiting from being able to manage their wind down,” Miles said.

“In some cases, that means we can bring them (closure dates) forward. In other cases, that means we can continue them operating beyond when they’re profitable.

“And that gives us a level of security and certainty of supply. That means we can manage the transition much more smoothly. It means we can keep a coal fired generator, effectively mothballed but available should a significant delay in delivery.

“You would never be able to get a private owner to do that. They’re just going to shut them down as soon as they stop being profitable.”

Miles said the coal generator sites will become hubs for green energy and possibly use the turbines for frequency control and grid services.

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