News that Australia’s first community-owned electricity retailer Enova Energy has been forced into voluntary administration is a damning indictment of the greed of the coal and gas companies which are at the heart of the energy crisis that is hurting Australian households and businesses, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.
© Dale Cochrane / Greenpeace
Enova tied for first place in Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s 2022 , offering consumers cleaner, greener electricity through its innovative model of sourcing electricity via customer-distributed solar panels and giving half of profits back to the community.
It comes as the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) signals it will likely end its market intervention as early as this evening after it last week seized control when power generators were gaming the system.
Glenn Walker, Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner, said dirty fossil fuel companies are to blame for forcing Enova Energy into administration, hurting Australian households and businesses, and hampering Australia’s energy transition.
“News that Enova Energy has entered into voluntary administration is a damning indictment of the greed of the coal and gas power generators which are at the heart of the energy crisis that is hurting Australian households and businesses.
“These anti-competitive and morally repugnant fossil fuel companies are reducing consumer choice and driving up prices, all in the pursuit of short-term profit. They are acting to hold Australia’s energy transition hostage, gaming the market and risking driving renewable energy-focused companies out of the market.
“Instead of forcing companies like Enova into administration, fossil fuel companies should be learning from them, responding to consumer demand and accelerating the energy transition.
“With AEMO’s intervention due to end, it will be a test whether the fossil fuel giants have learned their lesson and will put Australians before profit.
“The consumer demand for clean, renewable-powered electricity is clear, and will continue to grow, as the role of dirty, expensive coal and gas in driving up power bills hits home.”
