Page 2280 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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The government is currently investigating policy options to decarbonise transport and natural gas consumption, which are the two largest sources of ACT emissions, once our electricity emissions reach zero in 2020. There are a variety of ways in which this decarbonisation can take place, including the use of alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen or biogas and direct electric alternatives such as electric vehicles and heat pumps. But we need to ensure that, if the decarbonisation of transport and gas does occur through electrification, this does not result in an increase in electricity sector emissions.
This bill will provide certainty to Canberrans that if they buy an electric vehicle or replace gas appliances in their home their actions will result in a reduction in carbon emissions as their electric alternative will be clean and green and produce no emissions when it is used. As these can be very long-lived assets, the community needs to be able to know what their emissions will be for years and decades to come. The bill also provides certainty to ACT consumers that their electricity will continue to be renewable after the ACT’s current deeds with large renewable electricity generators expire in the mid to late 2030s.
This bill does not commit the ACT government to any specific approach to deliver any additional renewable electricity demand required to meet the target on an ongoing basis. The renewable electricity target is met through a variety of renewable electricity sources for which the ACT community is financially responsible. This includes ACT rooftop solar, our share of the large-scale renewable energy target established under commonwealth legislation, and contracts established with 10 large electricity generators.
The government is currently delivering significant improvements in energy efficiency through the energy efficiency improvement scheme which help to put downward pressure on electricity demand and will make it easier for the target to be met on an ongoing basis. The ACT community and local businesses are installing solar to reduce their power bills and to deliver energy independence. This, too, is helping to deliver against the target. With the passage of this bill, the government will continue to monitor renewable electricity supply against ACT electricity consumption and will undertake any further large-scale renewal electricity procurement as necessary.
With renewable electricity generation costs rapidly declining and the price of electricity heading up, any further renewable electricity procurement presents Canberrans with an opportunity to again source electricity that is renewable and also affordable.
The bill further strengthens the government’s commitment to renewable electricity by setting the commitment in primary legislation rather than in an instrument. This will provide a clearer signal of the importance of the target and help to provide certainty about policy direction to the renewable electricity industry in the context of ongoing national policy uncertainty.
The bill will help provide the ACT community with clear and concise information that will allow people to observe progress towards the targets. The bill will provide more
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