Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, Minister for State Development, Trade and the Antarctic, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Member for Braddon
Northern Tasmania Set To Become Renewable Energy Powerhouse
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will turbocharge northern Tasmania’s economic future as a renewable energy powerhouse.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future will drive new investment into the region, creating thousands of jobs and securing the state’s energy supply.
“In our first 100 days, we will declare Tasmania’s first Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) in the north west,” the Premier said.
“The REZ will designate an area where new generation projects can be built close to the transmission networks they need, and alongside the new job-creating industries they will supply.
“The REZ will also enable local communities within the area to directly share in the benefits.
“Tasmania’s first REZ will be located near Burnie.
“The declaration of the zone will ensure the vital North West Transmission Development is built, with the government to underwrite the North West Development Transmission line between Hampshire and Burnie to connect at least three wind farms and significant industrial projects.
“Our Strong Plan for Tasmania’s future will also invest in partnership with industry $4 million into developing a state-of-the-art renewable energy industry training facility in Burnie.
“The training facility will support up to 20 new apprentices each year.
“Our Strong Plan for Tasmania’s future will also create a Renewable Energy Services Hub at Bell Bay to harness opportunities created by new energy projects across the nation.
“Bell Bay’s deep-water port, along with its existing industrial infrastructure means it is ideally situated to become a renewable energy services powerhouse, creating hundreds of Tassie jobs.
“Only a re-elected majority Liberal Government will ensure Tasmania continues to lead the nation in renewable energy.”
Cost: Capital expenditure: $55 million. Operating costs: $9 million. Investment in training facility: $4 million.
2030 Strong Plan For Tasmania’s Future: Sky’s The Limit For Hydro
A re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal Government will power Tasmania’s future by abolishing the legislative cap and competition impediments preventing Hydro from building or partnering in new energy generation facilities.
“Abolishing Hydro’s legislative limit on building or partnering in new energy generation infrastructure will truly power-up Tasmania’s future,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.
“It will also unlock a whole new generation of energy generation construction in Tasmania, with the potential to create local jobs in the process.
“Currently, under the Hydro-Electric Corporation Act 1995, the Hydro is prevented from building projects greater than 40 megawatts in capacity without going through a cumbersome Parliamentary process.
“This is an antiquated piece of legislation that has failed to keep pace with both advancements in wind and solar, and the demands of Tasmania’s strong economy.
“Within our first 100 days of re-election, we will introduce new legislation that lifts the limit on Hydro’s new energy generation.
“We will also remove the competition impediments in the Electricity Supply Industry Act 1995 and other associated legislation that is constraining Hydro’s capacity to help develop the energy Tasmania needs.
“This will unlock enormous opportunities for Tasmania, across hydro, wind and solar energy generation. “
Energy Minister Nick Duigan said that following on from yesterday’s announcement that the Liberals will re-write Hydro’s Ministerial Charter, the changes would free-up the Hydro to build and partner in the new energy generation our growing state needs.
“While Tasmania currently has sufficient energy to supply our needs, our State has grown rapidly over the past decade under majority Liberal Governments, and we need additional energy generation to cater for our needs into the future,” Minister Duigan said.
“For context, the current 40-megawatt limit would power just 12,000 households.
“This means that we rely on primarily interstate and overseas investors to build our new windfarms, solar farms and other new generation facilities – rather than being able to simply build them ourselves.
“By abolishing Hydro’s legislative speed limit, removing the competition impediments, along with rewriting the Charter, the Hydro really will once again operate as Tasmania’s greatest economic enabler.”
Media release – Dean Winter MP, Shadow Minister for Energy, 27 February 2024
Liberals must explain how they will pay for Hydro and TasNetworks plans
Jeremy Rockliff’s Liberals are recklessly racking up a massive energy debt, with no plans for how they’ll pay for it.
Less than six months after slashing Tasmania’s investment in Marinus to 17.7%, citing concerns about the increasing costs of the project and Tasmania’s ability to finance it, the Liberals yesterday committed to staying in the deal and therefore a $584 million investment in Marinus.
In contrast, Labor will exit under the contract clause negotiated by the government.
In November, TasNetworks announced an updated north-west transmission project cost from $800 million to $1.5 billion. Stage 1 of delivery is estimated to cost $950 million, and Stage 2 of the delivery is estimated to cost $550 million. The Liberals responded by slashing the north-west transmission project in half, rescoping the project which connected new generation and load as ‘Stage 2’, causing outcry from business, industry and generation proponents.
Given the Liberals yesterday announced they would now look for Hydro to invest in new wind projects, the question now is, where is the money coming from?
In September last year they could not afford to invest in Marinus, in November they could not afford to build north-west transmission. But now with the budget in even worse shape, they seem to be saying they will start building wind farms.
So where is the money coming from? The Tasmanian Budget has been blown with a record $600 million deficit this financial year and $6.1 billion worth of debt, with it expected to climb to $30 billion by 2035 on the current trajectory.
It’s one thing to say you will tell Hydro to start building new generation, it’s another to explain where the money is coming from.
Labor has a plan for this. By pulling out of Marinus, we open up almost $600 million for investment in new generation.
After 10 years in government and two consecutive elections where they have broken all of their energy promises, the Liberals can’t be trusted on energy.
