Securing a social licence to build transmission lines is the most pressing issue facing Australia’s energy transition, federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has warned, as the head of the country’s state-owned green bank says the pace of new renewable energy developments is too slow to meet ambitious targets.

Transmission lines are shaping as the biggest bottleneck in Australia’s plan for the transition of power generation away from its traditional reliance on coal as their development has been hampered by funding constraints and community opposition.