Page 1804 - Week 05 - Thursday, 16 May 2019
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MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong—Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, Minister for Corrections and Justice Health, Minister for Justice, Consumer Affairs and Road Safety and Minister for Mental Health) (11.26): I move:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
I am pleased to present the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Renewable Electricity Target) Amendment Bill 2019. The ACT government has held four renewable electricity auctions for 640 megawatts of renewable electricity to deliver on the 100 per cent renewable electricity target established under the act for 2020. These auctions have delivered deeds of entitlement with 10 renewable electricity generators, providing the ACT with the renewable electricity certificates produced on 20-year terms. Nine of these generators have commenced delivery of generation to the ACT, with the final generator to commence on 1 October this year.
The renewable electricity delivered under these deeds is critical for the ACT’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of net zero emissions by 2045, as well as the interim targets for 2020 and onwards. Once the ACT reaches 100 per cent renewable electricity, our future greenhouse gas reduction targets will require a decarbonisation of natural gas and transport fuel consumption.
The ACT government is preparing for the possibility that a significant portion of this decarbonisation effort will take place through change to electric alternatives such as reverse-cycle heaters, electric vehicles and electric or induction cooktops. If this eventuates, this will lead to increases in electricity demand. The ACT’s population growth is also driving increased electricity consumption at a faster rate than improved energy efficiency can reduce it.
This bill amends the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010 to legislate an ongoing 100 per cent renewable electricity target post-2020, ensuring that the ACT will maintain delivery of 100 per cent renewable electricity in perpetuity. This commitment ensures that if the ACT community wishes to move away from fossil fuel technologies such as petrol and natural gas, the ACT government will ensure that sufficient renewable electricity is procured to allow these people to choose a clean alternative to polluting fossil fuels.
The commitment also provides certainty to ACT consumers that their electricity will continue to be renewable after the current renewable electricity deeds expire in the mid to late 2030s This ongoing commitment is required in order to help the ACT deliver on its emissions reduction targets and meet its fair share of the emissions reduction task needed to minimise the impact of global warming.
The bill further strengthens this commitment by setting it in primary legislation rather than being set in an instrument. This will provide a clearer signal of the importance of the renewable electricity target and help to provide certainty about policy direction to the renewable electricity industry. This change will provide more consistent treatment of the renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in terms of how the targets are set and reported on.
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