Western Australia environment and climate action minister Reece Whitby will add energy to his portfolio and be tasked to “spearhead” the state’s clean energy transition which is emerging as one of the most ambitious in the country, if not the world.
Premier Roger Cook announced on Thursday that the portfolios held by the retiring Bill Johnston will be spit, with Cook himself taking the hydrogen portfolio and ports minister David Michael taking responsibility for mines and petroleum.
Cook said the state Labor government intends to position W.A,. at the forefront of new energy industries, including green hydrogen, in its dramatic response to pleas from big industry to hasten the transition from coal and gas to a renewable-dominate grid.
W.A. has long been the laggard in the transition to green energy, but a new demand forecast has predicted the need for more than 50 GW of new wind, solar and storage capacity over the next two decades to provide enough green power for green hydrogen, electric vehicles, electrification and green industry.
That has already prompted massive investment in new wind, solar and battery storage projects, including at least four new big batteries that will help to manage the growing impact of rooftop solar and deal with the evening peaks as the state’s coal fired generators retire.
Johnston announced his resignation last week after five years in the energy portfolio, and will not contest the next election.
Whitby participated in the meeting of state and federal energy and climate ministers last month, where he talked of the state’s massive investment in transmission and battery storage to underpin the “big switch” to renewables.
He has recently flagged one of the “largest and most fundamental shake-up” of approvals processes in the history of the State to facilitate new green energy projects.
The former journalist (ABC, Nine and Seven), has been attending the COP28 climate conference in the UAE, where he posted a photo of himself checking out an “electric-powered all new 1967-styled Ford Mustang” (pictured above).
