South Australian blackout a wake-up call, says Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull has seized on South Australia’s statewide blackout to call for a shift in national ­energy policy.

An electricity pylon near Melrose destroyed by winds. Picture: ABC News

Malcolm Turnbull has seized on South Australia’s statewide blackout to call for a shift in national ­energy policy, rejecting “aggressive” targets for renewable power being pushed by Labor states and urging a focus on security of ­national ­supply.

Stoking a political brawl over whether renewable energy contributed to South Australia’s network failure on Wednesday, the Prime Minister — a long-time ­advocate for carbon-emission ­reductions — said the shutdown should serve as a “wake-up call” as the country increased its reliance on renewable energy.

Amid calls for an independent inquiry into the blackout that left 1.7 million people without power — a crisis Premier Jay Weatherill said could not have been avoided — Mr Turnbull ordered an urgent meeting of the country’s energy ministers, and blasted state Labor governments for pursuing ideological renewable targets while neglecting energy security.

“I regret to say that a number of the state Labor governments have over the years set priorities and ­renewable targets that are ­extremely aggressive, extremely unrealistic, and have paid little or no attention to energy security,” the Prime Minister said.

“Let’s take this storm in South Australia … as a real wake-up call. Let’s end the ideology and focus on clear renewable targets.”

In sharp contrast to his passionate support for Kevin Rudd’s carbon pollution reduction scheme, which cost him his job as Liberal leader in 2009, Mr Turnbull said: “Energy security should always be the key priority. If you are stuck in an elevator, if the lights won’t go on, if your fridge is thawing out … because the power is gone, you are not going to be concerned about the particular source of that power. Whether it is hydro, wind, solar, coal or gas, you want to know that the energy is secure.”

Seeking to harness the political backlash to the network collapse to call for a single, national renewable energy target, Mr Turnbull said he had requested Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg to ­organise a meeting of state and territory energy ministers as soon as possible. Mr Frydenberg said he wanted the meeting to consider harmonising renewable energy targets and hit out at the “hotchpotch” of different state policies.

Blyth residents take in the trail of destruction. Picture: Dylan Coker

“If you’ve got these completely unrealistic state targets, then it does raise issues for the stability of the system and for the most ­efficient allocation of resources,” Mr Frydenberg said.

Victoria aims to boost its green energy supply from 12 per cent to 40 per cent by 2025, Queensland’s target is to rise from 4 per cent now to 50 per cent by 2030, and South Australia is working towards a 50 per cent target by 2025, up from its present level of 41 per cent.

The ACT Labor government has committed to a 100 per cent ­renewable energy target by 2020, which Chief Minister Andrew Barr said yesterday was “locked in and legislated” and supported by all sides of politics. The federal government’s renewable target is 23.5 per cent by 2020, up from 15 per cent now, while federal Labor has outlined a 50 per cent target.

South Australian Attorney-General John Rau last night proclaimed a seven-day period of emergency due to another severe weather front striking the state.

GRAPHIC: The big blackout

Up to 40,000 homes were still without power and some of the state’s biggest industrial operations were facing weeks of shutdown. Port Pirie smelter operator Nyrstar said that despite a back-up generator kicking in, the blast furnace would be shut down for up to a fortnight for repairs, costing the company $7 million. The Whyalla steelworks were at a “critical stage” because hundreds of tonnes of molten steel were cooling.

The state Labor government and federal opposition accused the Turnbull government of politicising the once-in-50-year “super storm” that took down 23 transmission towers and caused two ­interconnectors to shut down.

“I think it’s disgraceful that the conservatives are playing politics with what is a natural disaster,” Bill Shorten said.

“It is the weather blowing over towers; 80,000 lightning strikes has nothing to do with a state renewable energy target. Our fellow Australians are struggling through a massive storm and the clean-up and you’ve got the government in Canberra trying to play cheap politics. Really, this country deserves better.”

Mr Weatherill accused the ­Coalition of using the storm to pursue an anti-renewables agenda and a “jihad against wind farms”.

 

Greens energy spokesman Adam Bandt said the storm was caused by climate change and should serve as a warning to raise the use of renewable energy. The Climate Council warned of similar storms and said it was “opportunistic and irresponsible” to blame renewables for the blackout.

“The opportunism displayed by some at a time when South Australians are grappling with a devastating natural disaster that is threatening their homes and health is extremely disappointing,” the council’s Andrew Stock said.

Mr Frydenberg said the blackout was caused by the storm but said there were also “serious questions” about the state’s energy ­security linked to its reliance on ­renewables.

“Let me be absolutely clear: ­energy security is this government’s No 1 priority,” he said. “We must keep the lights on. And while we are transitioning to a lower emissions future, we will not compromise on energy security.”

Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne blasted the “ideological campaign by the Left, Labor and the Greens” to move the country towards renewable energy targets, which he said were good in principle, but had produced “a lot of ideology and not a lot of common sense”.

“So while the left laud the fact that South Australia has 40 per cent wind power, we are the state that’s just been wiped out in terms of a blackout of our power,” he said.