Far North shines in Queensland’s renewable energy boom
The Normanton Solar Farm has become the first large-scale solar energy project to become operational in the whole of North Queensland.
It’s also one of the first to be switched-on in the entire state behind the Barcaldine Community Solar Farm and the Sunshine Coast Solar Farm.
Minister for Energy Mark Bailey, Member for Barron River Craig Crawford and Labor’s Cairns candidate Michael Healy emphasised the Far North’s important role in Queensland’s renewable energy boom while visiting a couple of Cairns-based renewable energy businesses today.
Mr Bailey said it was companies, such as Australian Sustainable Energy (ASE) at Manunda that played a major role in the supply and installation of the Normanton Solar Farm and AC Solar Warehouse at Bungalow, wholesalers for rooftop solar, which were directly benefitting from the renewable energy and jobs boom kick-started by the Palaszczuk Government.
“We’ve come a long way since the dark days of the LNP Government’s renewables blackout when not one large-scale renewable project was commissioned,” Mr Bailey said.
“As well as the three large-scale renewable projects that are now operating in Queensland, there are 21 projects under construction or financially committed supporting almost 3,000 direct construction jobs mostly in our regions, providing a $3.7 billion investment.
“When fully operational these projects will support a combined generating capacity of close to 1,900MW.”
Mr Crawford said that renewable energy is now the cheapest form of new energy generation to build and that these projects are happening right now, bringing more competition and supply into the market and putting downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
“Only a Palaszczuk Labor Government is committed to a clean energy future and to providing certainty for industry through our 50% by 2030 Renewable Energy Target (RET),” Mr Crawford said.
“The Renewable Energy Expert Panel found that we could responsibly and securely transition to 50% renewable energy by 2030, and that it would also be broadly cost neutral to electricity customers.
“Queensland is experiencing a renewable energy boom, and the entire North Queensland is the major beneficiary, with 15 other renewable projects committed or under construction supporting 2,100 jobs.”
Michael Healy said that North Queenslanders can’t risk our renewable future on an LNP/One Nation plan for an old-tech coal-fired power station that would take seven years to come online and drive up power prices for decades.
“Tim Nicholls flicked the renewables switch off in Queensland and he’ll do it again, as he’s already promised to scrap our RET, putting at risk thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment in regional Queensland,” Mr Healy said.
“We can’t trust Tim Nicholls, power prices went up 43% under his watch in the former government and he will pull the plug on renewables investment, ending the jobs boom.”
John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Council and Energy Storage Council said a new coal-fired power station doesn’t make sense.
“It’s too expensive, too slow, too dirty and it would do nothing to reduce power bills,” Mr Grimes said.
“North Queensland is experiencing a renewable energy boom, this includes proposals for baseload, 100 per cent clean solar thermal and solar and wind projects.”
