Page 33 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 8 February 2022
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Scheme is helping households to transition to cheaper and more sustainable energy sources. This continues to be a key component of the government’s emissions reduction strategy. The scheme is continuing to support Canberra households to benefit from a clean energy future by offering zero-interest loans for rooftop solar panels, household battery storage, zero-emissions vehicles and energy-efficient electric appliances.
Uptake of loans through the scheme has surpassed expectations set by similar schemes interstate. As of 7 February, I can advise the Assembly that 3,000 loans have now been approved, worth a total value of about $30 million. To date, 10.1 megawatts of rooftop solar has been installed under the scheme. To put this in perspective, that is more than four times the size of the Majura solar farm. The Sustainable Household Scheme is not only helping households to reduce their energy bills; it is contributing to our emission reduction targets. It is supporting Canberra businesses and creating local jobs. The scheme’s top eight suppliers have premises here in the territory, and they are receiving more than $18 million of this new business.
Based on the early success of the scheme, it has the potential to be one of the most successful examples of policy development and implementation in the history of self-government in the territory. It is a scheme that is delivering the benefits of a zero-emissions future, both financial and environmental, to a wider range of Canberra households, not just those that could afford the upfront capital cost. It is creating a pipeline of work that hundreds of Canberrans can rely on for years to come.
In 2022 the government is progressing the Big Canberra Battery project. It is a project that will provide at least 250 megawatts of battery storage. Once complete, it will be one of the biggest distributed battery storage systems in the country. The project will include three “streams” of different sized batteries. Stream 1 is batteries greater than 10 megawatts, focused on the delivery of a large amount of battery capacity at a low cost. Stream 2 is a series of smaller batteries of between 10 and 250 kilowatts at government and public sites—for example, schools and universities. Stream 3 is neighbourhood-scale batteries of 100 kilowatts to five megawatts, with a focus on trialling community investment models and innovation.
A call for expressions of interest for stream 1 batteries was released in December and has already garnered strong interest. The EOI period will close later this week, on 11 February, and will be followed by a request for proposals from a shortlisted group. I am very pleased with the progress of this program and look forward to updating the Assembly in the coming months on its continued success.
Turning now to infrastructure, the government has a plan—and we are implementing it—to build the infrastructure of our city’s future, with a $6.4 billion investment program outlined in the 2021-22 budget. I believe that now is the time for the ACT government to put the steps in place to design and construct the infrastructure that our growing city needs. This includes new and renewed facilities in our public healthcare system, across the public education system, in our transport network, in city services and in our arts and entertainment precincts.
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