Beyond Zero Emissions’s (BZEs) experts have come up with a clear framework that measures the key ingredients for successful delivery of major energy and industry projects in key industrial regions such as the Hunter in New South Wales (NSW), Central Queensland, the Latrobe Valley in Victoria and Kwinana in Western Australia (WA).
BZE Chief Executive Officer Heidi Lee said Australians had voted decisively for clean energy policy certainty at the federal election, and it was time to properly plan for successful project delivery.
“Great projects need great planning. Hunter is extraordinarily well placed to capitalise on the clean energy shift through green industrial exports such as green aluminium, hydrogen and cleantech,” Ms Lee said.
“The Hunter is a major industrial hub with industries such as Tomago Aluminium and Orica’s Kooragang Island operations, and also has an excellent port.
“Delivering the Hunter Transmission Project on time is key to unlocking the massive clean jobs opportunity for the Hunter. If this project is not delivered on time, clean energy will not become available and we will continue to rely on coal, which is expensive and polluting.”
“While momentum is building, our assessment shows 17 of 19 indicators assessed are still lagging, with many of those indicators key to the future of all industrial regions.”
“Our report finds progress towards clean exports, local manufacturing and training, but it depends on some 74% of renewable energy capacity in the pipeline that is yet to receive planning approval and the process is taking far too long – typically between five and eight years. Of the projects approved, less than one third are under construction. It’s time for action.”
“The region understands the importance of good planning to keep the shift happening quickly here, because local advantages will be lost if we take too long.”
As major Tomago Aluminium shareholder, Rio Tinto, Chief Executive Officer Jakob Stausholm has said:
“It might take us a longer time to get renewables, and the electricity from coal-fired power… is extremely expensive… If we don’t have our own (renewable) energy solution in place, the energy we have been offered is not viable.” (AFR)
Ms Lee said ambition from local manufacturers has to be backed by policy and action.
“Three of the six biggest local manufacturers have bold emissions reduction targets that depend on securing access to affordable and reliable clean energy, and the development of key technologies. We need to give them the clean energy and technology they need.
“Our report also found that improvements can be made in the areas of transmission, distribution and energy storage, and that more detail is required on industry decarbonisation plans to have them function as practical roadmaps.”
The report assessed the state of play in the Energy System, Industry Decarbonisation, and Federal, State and Local Government Policy. Powering Up The Hunter is the first regional assessment under Beyond Zero Emissions’ National Action Plan—a place-based, multi-sector framework to coordinate clean industry and energy development, aligning infrastructure, policy, and workforce planning across Australia.
This Friday, to accelerate action, BZE, the Hunter Joint Organisation and GHD are convening a high-impact industry workshop with an expert on industrial decarbonisation, Dr Chris Oughton, and key local stakeholders to map next steps.
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