Essays by Eric Worrall
“Nobody asked any of us”: A federal plan for states to share the cost of offsetting carbon for new gas field development has not been well received.
Tensions emerge between state and federal governments over Australia’s energy grid roadmap
Monopoly: worrisome points regarding cross-jurisdictional jeering and impatience with renewable energy deployments
Peter Hannam Sun July 23, 2023 06:00 AEST
The rifts in the unity of the nation’s energy ministers have emerged amid doubts about the review of grid plans and the federal government’s effort to force states to offset carbon from large new gas fields.
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“Any assessment should be aligned with the ambitions of each jurisdiction,” said one official. “We’re not there for the commonwealth to tell us what to do.”
At the meeting, Bowen also surprised state and territory partners with a plan for them to pay carbon offsets would be needed for the proposed Beetaloo and other new gas fields in the Northern Territory. The Commonwealth will underwrite the southern gas pipeline.
The states have pushed back, however, with Western Australia and Queensland particularly objecting to the precedent that fixing offsets for so-called scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions would result, another official said.
“No one asked any of us” Regarding the offsetting plan, the first official said, adding that the carbon credit market would struggle to meet current demand without major new emitters like Beetaloo. “That’s not our problem.”
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clean Energy The council industry group said investors commit to only 400MW of new capacity in the first half of 2023. About 5 gigawatts – more than 10 times that number – is needed annually. if emissions reduction targets for the electricity sector are met by 2030, the council said.
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This is quite a turning point for the Secretary of Energy and Climate Change Chris Bowen. Bowen is one of the most climate-enthusiastic federal government ministers in Australian history.
Who would have predicted Bowen would become a promoter of fossil fuels? Perhaps the reality of the energy grid is catching up with Bowen’s green energy fantasies.
The truth is that Australia’s electricity grid is in serious trouble. Renewable investments have not materialized on anything of the scale the government had hoped for. According to the above article, only 400MW of investment appeared in the first half of 2023, instead of the 5GW that the federal Net Zero target requires.
Read more: Australia’s Climate Minister Refutes Claims The Grid Will Break When Generators Stop
The Victorian Government is very worried about the lack of investment in green energy, they pumped in some taxpayer cash, only to find private investors even harderfor fear that public money will crowd out opportunities for private investors.
In addition to the pressure to act, El Nino is lurking promises an especially hot Southern Hemisphere summer for Australia.
If Australia’s power grid experiences a major problem during a heatwave, questions will arise, questions a green-obsessed federal government pushed for rapid coal plant closures with threats of carbon prices It will be difficult to answer.
For more information on the impossibility and inconsistency of a global Net Zero push click here.
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