Green energy `urgent'

Courier Mail
Saturday 20/6/2009 Page: 80

AUSTRALIA'S biggest renewable energy investor, which this week picked up more Queensland wind energy assets, has urged the Rudd Government and Coalition not to play "political football" with renewable energy legislation. AGL Energy managing director Michael Fraser said the Government's Renewable Energy Target legislation must pass urgently or major new investment in low and zero emission energy sources for the nation would be under threat.

"This legislation is a crucial stimulus package in supporting new renewable-energy projects," Mr Fraser said. "It is disappointing to see this important legislation used as a political football in the Senate. "This unnecessary delay will impose additional pressures on an industry working very hard to promote job creation in a challenging economic climate."

The Government tied the RET laws to legislation for an emissions trading scheme and the Senate this week voted to refer the RET laws to a committee, a move that delays a vote until at least August. The RET would force electricity retailers to source at least 20% of power by 2020 from renewable, or limitless, energy forms such as wind, hydroelectricity and solar.

AGL's new-build electricity generation mix for this year is project north of Adelaide. In December AGL paid $14 million for two wind energy development projects from Investec, including at Coopers Gap near Kingaroy that potentially would be AGL's biggest farm with 500MW capacity..

Queensland's power generation capacity is about 10,000MW, with 98% from burning coal and gas and 2% from clean sources such as wind. The Queensland Government says it is bringing in forecast at 9500 MWs of renewable-energy capacity more than its new gas-fired and coal-fired capacity combined.

AGL this week acquired from Transfield Services the right to develop a windfarm in Queensland that would allow it to expand its existing wind development at Crows Nest, near Toowoomba, by 20 turbines. It would lift the capacity of Crows Nest to about 200MW. It paid $9 million for the Crows Nest expansion rights and for a laws that will see gas-fired capacity double within several years to about 4000MW.

AGL spokesman Nathan Vass said a decision on AGL's Coopers Gap wind project was unlikely this year. AGL is focused on the Hallett 2 and Hallett 4 wind projects in South Australia, which when completed will mean AGL controls almost 1300MW of renewable-energy capacity in Australia, with about 2000MW of identified renewable generation opportunities.