The big switch to global clean energy can make us rich, PM Anthony Albanese to declare at Future Energy forum

Clean energy is the spark needed to boost jobs and manufacturing and make Australia rich, the PM Anthony Albanese will declare at a landmark forum.

The global clean energy switch is the nation’s biggest chance for growth and prosperity, by creating jobs and renewing manufacturing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will say on Friday.

In a keynote speech to News Corp’s Future Energy event in Sydney, Mr Albanese will declare energy is the spark to drive a strong economy.

Acknowledging “many Australians are feeling the pressure of higher power bills”, Mr Albanese will sheet home much of the blame to “short-term pressures” triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will address the Future Energy forum in Sydney on Friday, September 15. Picture: Jonathan Ng

But he will point to the record $2.5 trillion in global funds that poured into renewable energy last year, highlighting investment in solar alone this year is poised to outstrip global oil production for the first time.

The energy transition will open the door to thousands of good, secure jobs, he will say, with an extra 12,000 workers needed by 2025 to support the National Energy Market’s transition.

Mr Albanese will argue the surging embrace of electric cars illustrates the “clean energy present”, pointing to record global sales last year of 10m-plus and Australian sales up 121 per cent on last year.

“A strong economy makes a better future possible – and energy is the spark that drives it,” Mr Albanese will say, according to supplied speaking notes.

“The jobs, the communities, the cities, the industries, the very country that we want to create are all intertwined with how we tackle energy.

“Energy security is economic security. Energy security is job security. Energy security is national security.”

Mr Albanese also will declare energy security spurs regional growth, suburban jobs, stronger manufacturing and a better deal for farmers and exporters.

Bringing new energy sources and new technology into the Australian power grid’s mix must be done while “ensuring that Australian households and businesses have the reliable, affordable power they need”, he says.

Traditional fuels like coal will have a role, the PM says, with global demand for high-quality metallurgical coal crucial for wind turbine manufacturing.

He singles out green hydrogen exports as an area of great potential and says Australia already has the world’s largest pipeline of renewable hydrogen projects.

But he acknowledges traditional fuels like coal will have a role, pinpointing Queensland’s Bowen Basin communities as continuing to benefit from global demand for high-quality metallurgical coal – crucial for wind turbine manufacturing.

Gas-generated power will have an important back-up role, as a flexible source to support the grid during low renewable energy output.

Insisting he understands community concern about high-voltage transmission lines being built in rural areas to link wind and solar farms, Mr Albanese will argue these are essential so business and industry can get reliable and affordable clean energy to reduce costs and emissions.

“The investments we are making in upgrading the national energy grid will create new jobs on major projects around Australia. They will ensure that the next generation of Australian jobs in advanced manufacturing, technology and critical minerals can be powered by renewable energy,” he will say.

“ … Transitioning our economy away from the fossil fuels that are making our climate unsafe and threatening our way of life is a big job. All of us have to be part of that effort.

“So it’s important that people in these areas have the information they need to make good decisions for their families and their communities.”

Originally published as The big switch to global clean energy can make us rich, PM Anthony Albanese to declare at Future Energy forum