The Queensland Government has scrapped the state’s renewable energy targets.
A new law passed on Wednesday night sets out a five-year plan for the energy sector and removes the target of reaching 80% renewable power by 2035.
The Government says the reversal is a more “realistic and market-driven approach” to meeting Queensland’s energy needs.
In Parliament, Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the move “takes [the] state backwards” on both energy affordability and climate efforts.
The new bill
The new legislation, which was an election promise from the Liberal-National Party Government, gets rid of Queensland’s legislated renewable energy targets.
Those targets, set by the former Labor Government, required the state to create a 50% renewable-powered grid by 2030, 70% by 2032, and 80% by 2035.
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The new law also delays the closure of existing coal-fired plants, and includes plans for more gas-fired power.
The Government argues that extending the operation of existing coal plants will save the state $26 billion, reducing household power bills by an estimated $1,035 a year.
Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki said the former Labor Government’s plan to “arbitrarily close” coal plants by 2035 was “unrealistic and fundamentally dishonest”.
Opposition
In Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, Opposition Leader Steven Miles said failing to phase out coal is environmentally unsustainable, will increase “bill stress,” and cause blackouts.
According to Miles, Qld reported 131 unplanned outages this year.
”This will only increase if we do not get real about renewable energy and storage — a transition that this LNP government seemingly wants to push off into the never-never, when it will be even more expensive,” Miles said.
