Energy Minister Guy Barnett’s abysmal management of the energy portfolio is putting Tasmania’s energy security at risk, with plans to mothball the Tamar Valley Power Station now abundantly clear.
Shadow Energy Minister Dean Winter said Minister Barnett’s attempts to rewrite history regarding his energy failures were all smoke and mirrors.
“It’s all well and good for the Minister to come out today and make announcements around energy, but his track record speaks for itself,” Mr Winter said.
“The government is ignoring its own energy security taskforce by mothballing the Tamar Valley Power Station combined cycle unit, an asset that helped Tasmania get through the Liberals’ 2016 Energy Crisis.
“Extraordinarily, he is simultaneously shutting energy generation assets at Bell Bay, while promoting new hydrogen projects which need significant energy generation.
“And, only weeks after the Minister announced the end to the standstill agreement with the Basslink owner, the company went into administration.”
Mr Winter said there are businesses right across Tasmania, including Bell Bay, that need peace of mind, something that right now, only a fully available Tamar Valley Power Station can provide.
“People need energy security confidence to continue to invest in Tasmania, and under Minister Barnett this isn’t the case.
“It’s simply unbelievable that the Minister has chosen to ignore his own energy security taskforce and decided to mothball this vital energy asset.
“Minister Barnett needs to explain why this decision has been made. He is happy to talk about hydrogen, Marinus and other new projects but fails to mention the fact he is mothballing an existing Tasmanian power generator on December 31.”
Dean Winter MP
Shadow Energy Minister
