Liberal and Labor need to join with the Greens in making the energy operator’s plan for a renewable superpower a reality, Greens Leader Adam Bandt said today.
The draft released by the Australian Energy Market Operator includes 4 possible futures for the electricity grid, including a Hydrogen Superpower scenario which would see coal close within a decade.
The Hydrogen Superpower scenario models what is necessary to meet the Paris and Glasgow target of 1.5 degrees of warming, with massive investment in wind, solar, storage and transmission, and almost quadruples electricity demand to allow the electrification of homes, businesses, transport and industry and to underpin massive exports in hydrogen and ammonia.
Even the Step Change scenario sees coal being phased out much earlier than either Liberal or Labor plan for, meaning the major parties’ election policies keep coal in the system for much longer than necessary.
As stated by Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:
“Australia’s energy operator is showing we can become a renewable energy superpower and end our dependence on coal and gas, but government needs to act.
“Coal and gas can exit the system much sooner than either Labor or Liberal are planning. Labor and Liberal want to keep coal and gas in the system longer than necessary.
“Even AEMO’s more conservative Step Change scenario sees enormous amounts of coal go, but it won’t happen if Liberal and Labor intervene to keep coal in.
“The engineers can do it and the industry sees it coming, but Liberal and Labor are pushing against the tide, using public money to keep coal and gas in the system, locking in decades of emissions.”
