Inclusion into the Renewable Energy Target of native forest biomass burning for electricity would effectively cut the target for wind and solar below levels those industries have previously rejected as unsatisfactory and undermine the market for clean energy as consumers reject ‘dead koala’ power, Markets For Change warned.
“Burning Australia’s native forests for electricity production is a real threat, not only to forests and their wildlife, but to the quantum that wind and solar would end up with in the Renewable Energy Target, and ultimately to the clean energy market as consumers seek to avoid this environmentally unacceptable source,” said Peg Putt, CEO of Markets For Change.
“We have been tracking this issue for some years and it is clear that there is a serious intention to proceed with forest furnaces if a change is made to allow native forest biomass into the RET. Don’t believe last minute protestations from a forest industry desperate for their next source of public subsidy.”
“If it proceeded then energy from native forest biomass would be at a scale that would reduce the proportion of the RET available to wind and solar, undermining these genuinely clean energy sources.”
“Burning native forest has to be ruled out in the RET legislation that introduces the new 33,000 gigawatt target so that it is clear this does not meet the definition of renewable energy, meaning it is a deal breaker if such a prohibition is not included,” Ms Putt explained. “The government will otherwise make a change to regulations and confound the intention of Labor to reject it.”
“Large greenhouse gas emissions result from burning native forest wood. These cannot be reabsorbed by regrowing those forests for decades and can even take centuries for old growth forests of south eastern Australia, so not in a relevant time frame to tackle the climate change problem.”
“Burning native forest wood is not clean, contributes further to climate change and has no place in a Renewable Energy Target.”
“Community concerns about electricity generated by burning large volumes of native forest from industrial logging operations that adversely affect our forest heritage and endangered wildlife have led to this electricity becoming known as ‘dead koala’ power.”
“We expect that consumers will continue to reject buying electricity sourced from burning native forest. That may then adversely impact the clean energy market if native forest biomass is mixed up in it,” Ms Putt concluded.
Peg Putt, CEO of Markets For Change
