Queensland coal plan threatens Chris Bowen’s emissions targets
Queensland’s plan to extend coal power for an extra decade has sparked a bitter clash with Canberra over Australia’s climate change commitments.
Chris Bowen has condemned Queensland’s plan to keep coal-fired power stations open until at least 2046, saying it will make it harder to hit federal emissions reduction targets.
Queensland Energy Minister David Janetzki on Friday confirmed the Crisafulli government would scrap state Labor’s plan to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2035, and keep state-owned coal-burning generators in the mix for another decade.
Mr Janetzki also flagged the LNP government would introduce legislation next week – to be passed by Christmas – to repeal state Labor’s legislated renewable energy targets.
But the Queensland Treasurer doubled down on his commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, saying the pledge was a “certainty signal to investors”, despite opposition to net zero by his political allies, including Queensland senator Matt Canavan, and Queensland Nationals MPs including Colin Boyce and Llew O’Brien.
Mr Janetzki also confirmed state Labor’s 75 per cent by 2035 emissions reduction target would not be repealed, but could not say how it would be met.
Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Mr Bowen said Queensland’s coal announcement was “disappointing, not surprising” and would make it harder to reach federal targets.
“I will leave it to the Queensland government to explain why they disagree with the warnings of independent bodies that have consistently said that unreliable, ageing coal is driving up bills for all Australians, including Queenslanders,” he said.
“The Queensland government may lack ambition on the renewable energy transition, but Queenslanders know that it’s the way of the future.
“It’s no secret that meeting our targets would be easier with all states leaning in with their own strong targets and actions.
“But decisions like today’s make strong federal action more important, not less important. We will continue to work with governments, industry and communities for a cleaner, more reliable energy grid.”
Asked whether Queensland’s plan to extend the life of its coal-fired power generators would doom federal Labor’s emissions reduction targets of 62 to 70 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035, Mr Janetzki said the state’s energy roadmap should not have been a surprise to Mr Bowen.
“We said before the election, coal would go for longer … the technical lifespan of our (coal-fired) generators that I’ve confirmed today in the energy roadmap were publicly available; AEMO (the Australian Energy Market Operator) has had them since at least 2019, so there’s no surprise,” Mr Janetzki said.
“Every other jurisdiction is going their own way … our decision today is getting that balance. A third of emissions are down to electricity.”
The federal emissions targets are predicated on coal-fired generation largely stopping in 2035.
Energy economist Bruce Mountain said the Queensland roadmap would make it difficult for the Albanese government to meet its 2030 and 2035 emission reduction targets. “It does call into question, even more so, the extent to which Bowen’s objectives can be met,” he said.
“If Queensland is setting a much slower rate of progress, where are the emission reductions going to come from?”
Grattan Institute energy program senior fellow Tony Wood said “you bet” the Queensland roadmap would make it harder for the Albanese government.
“There is now an inconsistency between what the commonwealth government is planning to achieve … and what the Queensland government is planning to do with its coal-fired power stations,” he said.
Mr Wood said the federal government would need to intervene with more heavy-handed policies if it wanted to encourage Queensland to close its coal plants earlier.
“If they decided to extend their renewable energy target, it would include Queensland. So if you push more renewables in … and if you subsidise renewables that makes it more difficult for coal financially,” he said. “Whatever the commonwealth does, I think, will override the states. The commonwealth can’t close the coal-fired power stations in Queensland … but they could make life very difficult for them.”
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