David Littleproud has claimed Australia does not need «large-scale industrial wind farms» like the planned offshore site south of Sydney, adding the Coalition will «restrict» federal government investment in renewable energy if selected.
The Nationals leader visited Wollongong on Monday, where he promised the opposition would instead offer a «calm» and «methodical» energy path to net zero by 2050.
Littleproud did not provide details of the Coalition’s energy plan, only admitting that «it will take a bit longer to get there».
The Albanian government on Saturday gave the green light to a 1,022 sq km area, 20 km off the Illawarra coast, in the next phase to become the country’s fourth dedicated wind farm area.
While the development over the weekend was welcomed by a number of groups, some in the community have continued to oppose offshore wind farms due to potential environmental, economic and social impacts.
The coalition has yet to detail its full energy plan, which will include a mix of nuclear, coal, gas and renewables. Littleproud said a Coalition government would result in «no wind farms» for the Illawarra.
«We want to send investment signals where there is a limit [the Coalition] it will go with renewable energies and where we will put them», he said.
«The coalition is not against renewables, but renewables must be in an environment that they cannot destroy. Why don’t we prioritize where they can make a difference and give businesses and households energy independence, which is on rooftops where the power and population is concentrated?”
Asked why the Nationals supported an offshore wind farm in Victoria’s Gippsland but not the Illawarra, Littleproud said: «They’re fixated on Gippsland, that’s floating.»
He said, unlike the Illawarra area, few people lived near the Gippsland area, «and the transmission lines required are not as necessary».
Earlier on Monday, Littleproud told ABC radio the Coalition’s energy policy will show investors Australia does not need «large-scale industrial wind farms, whether offshore or onshore».
«From what you will see in our energy mix, we will not need large-scale renewable industrial projects. So that’s basically where we’re going to get to and we’re going to be very clear and open and we’re committed to that path. But it’s not going to be a linear path that you’re experiencing right now,” he said.
«It would be the one that would invest in technology that has zero emissions, and it will take a bit longer to get there.»
Guardian Australia has contacted Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien and Member for Gippsland Darren Chester for comment.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen defended the Illawarra wind farm announcement on Monday, saying three other areas around the country had also been earmarked as wind power hubs.
«It’s very energy-rich, it’s very windy off our coast and it’s constantly windy,» he said.
«Unlike the wind on land, which blows sometimes and not sometimes, the wind at sea is almost always windy. At night, during the day, all the time.”
Clean Energy Council chief executive Kane Thornton said his group was confident Illawarra residents would prefer «wind turbines 20 kilometers offshore to a nuclear reactor on their doorstep. «.
«It is disappointing that the Coalition has chosen to oppose sensitive policy developments such as offshore wind and instead focus on fueling division in regional communities,» he said.
«This will damage investor confidence in infrastructure projects across Australia.»
In a statement to Guardian Australia, Littleproud clarified that citizens are not against renewables, but prefer «common sense and sensible options», such as rooftop solar.
«While the Gippsland project is smaller in size, the Illawarra offshore wind farm will still be 1,022 square kilometers and only 20 kilometers from shore.»
Peter Dutton, the opposition leader, has said the Coalition is looking at six or seven nuclear power stations across the country, but their locations will only be revealed «at a time of our choosing».
Dutton has also backed away from Labour’s statutory target of reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 as part of Australia’s commitments to the 2050 net zero deal, warning it would «harm Australian families and businesses in temporary».
#coalition #put #cap #investments #renewable #energy #Nationalist #leader
Image Source : www.theguardian.com