Heated cabinet debate over Malcolm Turnbull’s proposed Clean Energy Target and role of coal
PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet ministers say they will support a Clean Energy Target if it includes financial incentives for coal-fired power, while his backbench remains heavily opposed.
NSW
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PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s cabinet ministers say they will support a Clean Energy Target if it includes financial incentives for coal-fired power, while his backbench remains heavily opposed.
Cabinet ministers told The Daily Telegraph they would support a CET if the financial incentives kicked in at a higher emissions level to include coal, unlike the model proposed by chief scientist Alan Finkel that only subsidised gas and renewable energy.
The Coalition’s conservative arm wants the scheme abandoned altogether.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said the CET should be modified to include coal.
“Labor’s Renewable Energy Target has destroyed the affordability of power generation in Australia,” Mr Canavan said.
“The proposed CET works just like the RET and promises to be the worst sequel since Weekend At Bernie’s II. Any new policy must include scope for cheap coal power.”
A conservative Liberal MP said a CET would be a “Get out of jail free card” for Labor leader Bill Shorten.
“The CET has very little support, we lose both on the policy and the politics,” he said.
Cabinet ministers expressed support for the CET if the emissions threshold for a financial incentive is raised from its current 600g of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour to well over 700g so that coal generators also receive some subsidies. Black coal-fired power generates about 700g of carbon dioxide per megawatt hour.
One cabinet minister said Mr Turnbull was still keen to introduce a CET, and was not prepared to have no energy policy.
“Some will argue to get rid of it completely but I don’t think Turnbull will go that far,” the minister said. “I think you have to end up with a CET with a high enough threshold that coal-fired power is in.”
Mr Turnbull told The Daily Telegraph he was not backing away from renewables but the role of coal was part of the answer to the energy crisis.
“Our focus is on ensuring Australians have affordable and reliable power so the lights come on, stay on and NSW residents can afford to keep them on,” he said.
“Our energy policy is based on engineering and economics, not ideology and idiocy. We have an ‘all of the above approach’ to energy — gas, solar, pumped hydro, coal, solar thermal and batteries.”
Mr Turnbull said he had not dropped his commitment to renewable energy, citing the “game-changing” Snowy Hydro 2.0.
The CET will go to cabinet and the party room before Christmas.
Nationals MP George Christensen is understood to be garnering signatures opposing the scheme altogether. He did not return calls.
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