Politicians have well and truly switched on to the potential of clean energy and the huge job and investment benefits that effective policy can deliver, the Clean Energy Council said in welcoming a major policy announcement from the New South Wales Labor Party today.
Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton said NSW Labor had committed to delivering 4 GW of new large-scale renewable energy in the upcoming term of government if it wins the next election, as part of a total commitment of 7 GW by 2030 – the highest state-based clean energy commitment to date.
“It’s fantastic to see the Opposition adopting a very ambitious commitment on large-scale renewable energy that will boost investment and jobs in the industry and build on its previously-announced program to support half a million homes in the state to go solar,” Mr Thornton said.
“A renewable energy target driven by reverse auctions was one of the Clean Energy Council’s state election recommendations. Reverse auctions – where companies bid to provide the best-value-for-money projects – are an excellent way of ensuring that public money is invested efficiently. They also create enough certainty to encourage investment in local supply chains and local content.
“We have seen a big boost to jobs and investment delivered by reverse auction initiatives in states such as Victoria and the ACT. The flow-on benefits for communities surrounding wind and solar projects are very real, from direct employment opportunities to investment in local businesses and community benefit funds.
“The industry looks forward to a further announcement from the New South Wales Government to encourage further investment in large-scale wind and solar, which will perfectly complement its commitment to household solar and batteries, new pumped hydro sites and the Federal Government’s Snowy 2.0 expansion project.
“We look forward to working with the elected government to lock in jobs and investment for New South Wales through building a vibrant clean energy industry.”
