Call For 3GW Publicly Owned Wind & Solar Power In Northern QLD

Image: LEAN Queensland

The Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) says 86 local ALP branches in Queensland are now supporting its call for public ownership of renewable energy projects in the north of the state.

LEAN Queensland believes the public sector should remain a major player in the provision of electricity. It says northern Queensland has the potential to evolve into a renewable energy powerhouse for Australia, and the start of that process should be Government led, owned and planned.

LEAN is calling on the Queensland Government to commit to building 3 gigawatts of wind and solar power and half a gigawatt of storage in northern Queensland over the next ten years – and to retain these assets. LEAN’s proposal would see a world-leading manufacturing and industrial base created; from which an export market could develop.

“The state can build renewables cheaper than the corporate sector. The cost of borrowing for the state is about 2%, for the private sector its three or four times this. And who pays the interest? The public through our electricity bills. Public ownership will keep electricity prices down,” says the group’s campaign page.

As well as claiming taking such a route would be cheaper, LEAN says public ownership will provide revenue for public services, allow for careful planning and secure job creation, and best protect the public interest.

“Public ownership gets it done – and gives us policy certainty, which is a big issue in the energy sector.”

LEAN has proposed the creation of entity called the Queensland Renewable Energy Agency, run under a governance model where profit is important, but so is serving consumers and delivering positive regional economic outcomes.

The motion LEAN Queensland is asking branches to support and overview of its vision can be viewed here (PDF).

As for how the State Government feels about all this, Energy Minister Mark Bailey says it supports public ownership of power assets. In Queensland Budget 2017-18, the section dealing with the $1.16 billion Powering Queensland Plan mentions:

“assessing the feasibility of a separate CleanCo to operate Queensland’s existing renewable and low-emissions energy generation assets and develop new renewable energy projects.”

.. but the outcome of that assessment and how much of that development might occur in northern Queensland remains to be seen.

Queensland’s government has committed to ensuring 50% of the state’s electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2030. With regard to solar power, it has set a goal of one million rooftops with solar panels installed or 3,000 megawatts of PV to be in place across the state in 2020.