Victoria top location for renewable energy
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19 November 2008
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An independent national report on renewable energy by Ernst and Young has given Victoria top marks as a location for clean energy investment.
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“The report identifies Victoria as the state with the most active support for renewable energy, through policies such as our own mandatory Renewable Energy Target, with regional communities reaping the benefits of thousands of jobs and billions in investment in our high- quality wind and solar resources,” Victorian Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said.
“This report shows the actions taken by the Brumby Government have put Victoria in the best position to meet demand for electricity in a carbon constrained future,” he said.
Victorian Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor said the Ernst and Young report also gave Victoria top marks for having the best transmission grid infrastructure in Australia.
“Our state’s future power needs rely on the development of a more diverse energy mix including renewable energy such as wind power as well as clean coal and gas," Mr Batchelor said.
“This report shows Victoria made the right decision in having a market-based electricity system and involvement in the national electricity market, and investment in grid infrastructure, which reaches from Portland in the west to the Latrobe Valley in the east, is providing the right base to provide renewable energy into the future.
“The Victorian Government is taking action to make sure we can cut our carbon emissions without compromising the supply of energy to our communities and industries and it’s great to see that commitment recognised in this report from Ernst and Young.”
“However, the report also recognised that the approvals process for investors in Victoria can be more difficult than some other States, and this is a claim that we want to examine closely to see if there are ways to streamline the process,” Mr Jennings said.
The aim of Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) is to ensure that 10 per cent of our energy generation comes from renewable sources by 2016.
VRET provides up to $140 million support each year to renewable energy projects. This is on top of an additional $72 million provided in this year’s budget for large-scale renewable energy projects. |
