“The pleas from AEMO to have emergency electricity reserves on standby, as well as its plans to cut power to large users to reduce the risk of blackouts during hot weather this summer, demonstrates just how far Australia has fallen under net zero,” said Daniel Wild, Deputy Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs.
As reported in The Australian today, the Australian Energy Market Operator has again warned that households in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia face an ongoing multi-year risk of power shortages and blackouts.
“This is the net zero new normal – power shortages, black outs and record and rising household energy bills. You cannot run an advanced nation without secure and affordable energy, yet federal and state governments are pressing ahead with plans to destroy our energy generators,” said Mr Wild.
“That a resource-rich, energy-abundant country, such as Australia, can no longer guarantee the lights will be kept on, demonstrates the failure of net zero policies, which have led to the rapid, ideologically driven, decommissioning of baseload power generation.”
Earlier this week key energy and manufacturing leaders warned that government inaction and ideological interventions in Australia’s energy market will see shortages and render our manufacturing industry unviable.
“For all of the federal government’s talk about a future made in Australia its very simple, you cannot manufacture anything, nor defend yourself, if you do not have affordable, reliable and secure energy supplies,” said Mr Wild.
“The only way to lower power bills, and to secure our energy grid, is with affordable and reliable energy generation. Canberra needs to put mainstream Australians first, and abandon its reckless net zero commitments, and rapidly get more coal and gas generation into the market.”
The IPA is again calling on governments to act urgently to restore Australia’s natural competitive economic advantage in low-cost, reliable energy supply, by:
- Ruling out the closure of any more coal-fired power stations at least until like-for-like baseload replacements come online.
- Removing red tape and unnecessary environmental barriers to the development of natural gas resources.
- Immediately stop the roll-out of large-scale solar and wind projects throughout regional Australia, which are compromising prime farmland, and are failing to deliver reliable energy.
“AEMO’s previous damning forecasts make clear that no baseload power station should be allowed to close unless, and until, a like for like baseload replacement, be it coal-fired or nuclear, is ready to come online,” said Mr Wild.
“The current situation Australia finds itself in with record and rising energy bills, forecast blackouts, and an increasingly unreliable energy grid, are all core features of the policy of net zero emissions. It is all pain for no environmental gain.”
To download the IPA’s net zero polling click here.
