Talking Point: Legislating Tasmania’s renewable energy targets

The state’s clean energy legislation is a world first, writes Guy Barnett

Project director Lyndon Frearson from Ekistica with the tower crane used in Granville Harbour Wind Farm construction on Tasmania’s West Coast. Picture: Chris Kidd

THE Tasmanian government is seizing the opportunity to secure our state’s renewable energy future, which has the potential to create thousands of jobs and benefit our state for decades.

Our global-first legislation to deliver the Tasmanian Renewable Energy Target has been introduced to state parliament, confirming our commitment to double our renewable generation to a global-leading target of 200 per cent of current needs by 2040. The ambitious target will be supported by our world-class water and wind resources and will double our renewable energy generation of 10,500 gigawatt hours to 21,000 gigawatt hours. We have also set an interim target of 15,750 gigawatt hours of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2030.

This means jobs, investment, improved energy security, and downward pressure on power prices for Tasmanians, while supporting the nation’s future energy needs.

Tasmania is already punching above its weight in generating low cost, reliable, clean energy for the nation, producing nearly a quarter of Australia’s renewable energy, while consuming just 2 per cent of the nation’s energy.

We have world-class wind and water resources at our disposal. When combined with our hydro-electric generation, it puts Tasmania in pole position to drive the nation’s energy transformation.

Building Granville Harbour Wind Farm. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Tasmanian Renewable Energy Target (TRET) is also crucial for our major renewable energy projects and the interim and final targets will only be achievable with the commissioning of Marinus Link, the proposed 1500 megawatt undersea electricity connection to Australia’s future electricity grid.

Marinus is an opportunity to make Tasmania a global leader and a renewable energy powerhouse of Australia, and will play a key role as we rebuild from COVID-19 by creating billions of dollars in economic growth, significant opportunities across the supply chain, and jobs, particularly in regional areas.

Tasmania has what the nation wants in reliable, clean and affordable renewable energy, and this legislation is another plank in the Tasmanian Renewable Energy Action Plan that outlines our vision to develop renewable energy generation for the next 20 years. The TRET legislation will also improve co-ordination between electricity generation and the transmission infrastructure required to support and enable future renewable energy projects.

Tasmania is already taking the lead in this area and we are fast approaching our target to be 100 per cent self-sufficient in renewable energy by 2022, a feat achieved by few countries.

We are on track to reach the target before 2022, with the Cattle Hill Wind Farm recently competed and the Granville Harbour Wind Farm under construction.

These projects, when fully operational, will provide an additional 256MW of generation capacity while supporting hundreds of jobs in regional areas.

Our number one priority is to create jobs, rebuild the economy and protect the Tasmanian way of life.

Liberal Lyons MHA Guy Barnett is Tasmanian Energy Minister.