Matt Kean reacts to ex-Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad being hired by Premier
NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean has taken a dig at former Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad, who has been appointed adviser to Premier Dominic Perrottet.
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NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean has taken a dig at former Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad, who Premier Dominic Perrottet has hired as a new adviser.
At the same time as revealing that he found out about the new hire “on Twitter”, Mr Kean said Mr Broad would be “well-placed” to advise the Premier “on one of the greatest risks to the energy transition” — the “significant delays on the Snowy project”.
Mr Broad was the chief executive of Snowy Hydro for nearly a decade until quitting in August amid tensions with federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
His resignation came in the middle of the major expansion of the hydropower project — deemed critical in the replacement of coal in the power grid — but which has been plagued by cost blowouts and delays.
Asked how he felt about the hire, Mr Kean said: “I was interested to read on Twitter that he had been appointed. He is well placed to advise the premier on one of the greatest risks to the energy transition, the significant delays on the Snowy Hydro project that are threatening energy security on the east coast”.
Last week it was revealed during a parliamentary inquiry that Snowy Hydro’s expansion was a year behind schedule, with its official budget rising by $800 million to $5.9 billion.
The hearing heard the setback could impact the target of first power by mid-2025 and delivering the facility by early 2026.
Mr Broad said at the time that clashes with Mr Bowen were among the reasons he stepped aside, stating that issues had arisen between “what I think of the world” and “what Chris Bowen Minister for Energy thinks of the world”.
Mr Perrottet’s hiring of Mr Broad was immediately seen as a slap in the face to Mr Kean, who had been returning from a renewable energy conference in Egypt when he found out.
Mr Perrottet said he did not see the move as an attempt to sidestep Mr Kean by hiring his own expert adviser.
DOES PERROTTET’S NEW HIRE UNDERMINE KEAN?
A top energy boss who fell out with the federal government over his belief that gas-fired power stations will be crucial to bridging the gap to renewable energy has been appointed to Premier Dominic Perrottet’s inner circle of special advisers.
Mr Perrottet has hired former Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad to give advice on energy, infrastructure, and water projects – specifically, the plan to raise the Warragamba Dam wall.
Mr Broad’s extensive experience on water projects — including his knowledge of Warragamba Dam — is understood to have been a key reason for the hiring.
The move was seen as a slap in the face to Energy Minister Matt Kean, who is set to return from a renewable energy conference in Egypt on Saturday.
Mr Perrottet denied that he was attempting to sidestep Mr Kean by hiring his own expert adviser.
“I wouldn’t see it that way,” the Premier told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“I’m the Premier, and I want the best advice possible.”
Mr Perrottet said he was a “strong supporter” of gas as a firming fuel.
“As Premier of NSW I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we have energy security in the future, and Paul Broad is somebody who’s got a strong history in this space,” he told 2GB.
“The discussions I had with him when I was Treasurer of NSW I found incredibly constructive.”
“I want to make sure that I’ve got the best advice possible, and importantly as well, that we cut through red tape and regulations across government departments to get projects like Narrabri up and running.”
THE PLAN TO DRIVE PRICES DOWN
The $3.5 billion Narrabri Gas Project, run by mining giant Santos, is yet to begin exploratory drilling as it awaits the NSW Department of Planning singing off on six management plans.
Narrabri would supply the domestic market and reduce gas prices driven up by producers selling Aussie gas offshore.
But even if drills start turning before Christmas, gas is not expected to flow until 2026 at the earliest.
Santos has approval to build an 820km high pressure underground pipeline between Newcastle and Wallumbilla in Queensland.
But work has not commenced because the final route along a 200 metre wide land corridor still needs to be approved with yet more management plans to be vetted by the NSW Department of Planning.
A planning application for an interconnecting pipeline joining the Narrabri Gas Project to the approved pipeline has not even been lodged.
A difference of opinion
Mr Broad quit his role as Snowy Hydro CEO in August.
He later told the ABC that the decision was driven by a difference in opinion about the future of the Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station in NSW’s Hunter Valley.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen had previously announced he wanted the plant to run on green hydrogen from day one.
“While hydrogen is a wonderful opportunity, it is many, many years away from being commercial,” Mr Broad told the ABC.
“To think you can have hydrogen running into Kurri Kurri when there is no hydrogen being produced in Newcastle just doesn’t make any sense.”
Mr Broad has been hired as a special Adviser, and will give advice directly to the Premier.
He joins Yaron Finkelstein, the former political Adviser to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, also giving advice directly to the Premier.
Mr Finkelstein started work last week.
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Originally published as Matt Kean reacts to ex-Snowy Hydro CEO Paul Broad being hired by Premier
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