It has now been 1,112 days, or over three years, since the last Tasmanian windfarm was completed*.
Meanwhile, Hydro Tasmania admitted Tasmania has run out of power for new projects, with Hydro Tasmania’s CEO, Ian Brooksbank, confirming industries seeking 50MW or more would have to wait for new generation before commencement.
This begs the obvious question – how many more days will these industries and businesses have to wait for new energy to come online? Even the most optimistic assumptions don’t show a significant renewable project being commissioned until 2026.
Origin Energy, which wanted to build a hydrogen plant at Bell Bay, is now shortlisted to build one in the Hunter Valley instead – it couldn’t get any power in Tasmania.
Tasmania’s economy was shrinking for most of last year and it’s predicted to shrink again this financial year. A key reason for this is the lack of power.
We need more renewable energy development, but there’s none in sight as the energy crisis grows under the policy settings of the minority Liberal Government.
It’s too hard to build wind farms in Tasmania. Robbins Island took six years to be approved and had to fight the Tasmanian Government’s EPA, as well as Bob Brown.
A Tasmanian Labor government will make resolving the challenges facing windfarm projects in this state a priority so we can get out of the energy crisis and support the future growth of our major industries. We will back projects like Whaleback Ridge and Robbins Island – projects that would more than double our electricity generation.
*Granville Harbour Wind Farm became fully operational on December 18, 2020
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables
