Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens' Energy spokesperson
The Liberals’ confetti Budget doesn’t contain a single line item to secure Tasmania’s energy supply or drive down energy prices for ordinary Tasmanians. The Greens, with an eye to the future, have included a record $94 million in securing Tasmania’s electricity supply in our Alternative Budget.
We would spend a record amount on a secure energy supply, making Tasmania 100% renewable, through implementing the Tasmanian Greens’ Energy Strategy.
The Energy Crisis revealed Tasmania’s dependence on importing electricity from the mainland, and this summer nearly 50% of Tasmania’s electricity was imported from Victoria over Basslink or from the Tasmanian Gas Pipeline. This came at a significant expense to Tasmania and highlighted Tasmania’s energy generation deficit that puts all energy users, big and small, at risk.
Tasmania has the enviable opportunity to become the first state to be 100% renewable, 100% of the time. We could secure low power prices, the future of our major industrials, while attracting new businesses and the jobs they could bring to regional areas.
The Greens’ budget delivers a $31 million investment in a Smart Grid to enable increased renewable generation while reducing operating costs and avoiding unnecessary capital expenditure on our network.
Our budget also includes a fair Feed-in-Tariff for rooftop solar of 18c/KWh. This would boost the solar industry, boost jobs, improve energy security, and create clean and healthy communities.
The Greens have also invested in initiatives to drive down the cost of living, including interest free loans for the installation of solar panels for low income households and community solar farms, so all Tasmanians can invest in solar.
We have also provided $12 million over four years for energy-efficiency upgrades to households, community groups and small businesses.
Only the Greens’ budget embraces the renewables boom, with delivery of 730 MW of new large scale renewables, producing enough clean electricity to power 435,761 homes, securing Tasmania’s supply, and exporting any surplus over Basslink.
Tasmania would stand to reap significant revenue over the forward estimates from the sale of Large-scale Generation Certificates generated by these new projects.
Unlike Labor and the Liberals, the Greens have costed and financed a secure, renewable energy supply for Tasmania.