Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Energy spokesperson
The Greens welcome the move to establish a renewable hydrogen energy manufacturing industry in Tasmania. Done right it has the potential to reduce Tasmania’s carbon emissions from transport and create a new genuine renewable industry.
The government noted other states are relying on coal-fired energy to produce hydrogen, but said Tasmania can produce green hydrogen that is fired by renewables.
Just as with the Draft Renewable Energy Action Plan released last week, they need to rule out using biomass burning to generate electricity for a green hydrogen manufacturing plant.
Biomass burning would be a massive fly in the ointment of a green hydrogen industry - a total hypocrisy.
The Liberals have absurdly tried to define biomass burning as a form of renewable energy in their Draft Plan. Their dangerous proposal would fuel intensified native forest logging at a period when we need to hold on to, and expand, our carbon stores.
The Liberals’ plan to include biomass burning as renewable has no place in any part of Tasmania’s low carbon emissions future. The Gutwein Government must rule out biomass powering a green hydrogen industry.