Debtset – Bailiff-Sheriff Aust MEMBER Login
QRC backs new plan but calls for new power plant
THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes today’s policy announcements by the Queensland Government of its Powering Queensland Plan to address the state’s energy needs.
This Queensland Plan has been released ahead of the Finkel review due to be released this Friday at COAG.
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said it was good to see the Queensland Government setting an example for southern states with an energy plan and releasing more land for gas exploration.
“Once again we see Queensland showing New South Wales and Victoria on how to run an energy policy by investing in gas power and releasing another 395 square kilometres of land for new gas tenure to supply the east coast market,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“It’s common knowledge the eastern seaboard of Australia is facing a gas shortage and instead of putting their head in the sand the government is looking at how to fix the problem. This is proactive step by the Queensland government.”
The QRC is however very disappointed that the Palaszczuk Government has turned away from a technology neutral approach to electricity generation, whereby low emissions power generation is provided by the lowest cost energy source available not just renewables.
“If we are to be agnostic in terms of the sources of energy the government should also support the addition of a modern high efficiency, low emission (HELE) power plant, potentially in Townsville, using some of the highest quality, low emission coal in the world right here in Queensland,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“The government is ignoring the global shift currently underway with coal-fired power generation in countries such as Japan, with new state of the art HELE plants delivering affordable, reliable energy with a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.”
In the recent QRC State of the Sector sentiment survey Queensland resources chiefs revealed the price and supply of electricity in the state was a major concern with the decision to institute a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.
“The government reaffirmed this target today and industry believes it’s risky to mandate half of the state’s energy mix, especially from an energy source that is intermittent,” Mr Macfarlane said.
ends
