Page 2188 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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The ACT government has delivered the legislated 100 per cent renewable electricity target in 2020. Most renewable electricity is delivered through deeds of entitlement with 10 renewable electricity generators. These deeds were the result of previous renewable electricity auctions that provided renewable energy at lowest cost, and with a range of innovations in renewable technology, business development, skills training, and research and development in the ACT.
On 6 June 2019, this Assembly passed the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Renewable Electricity Target) Amendment Bill 2019. That legislated 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. That bill received unanimous support.
On 24 October 2019, this Assembly passed the Electricity Feed-in (Large-scale Renewable Energy Generation) Amendment Bill 2019. That bill was amended to include in the act the limit for future capacity releases at 900 megawatts. The increase in capacity ensured that future renewable energy auctions could be held to meet our 100 per cent renewable electricity target over time. That bill also received unanimous support.
Following that decision, I signed a determination to release 250 megawatts of capacity to allow for capacity to be granted under a further auction. This auction was to secure enough renewable electricity supply as the ACT economy grows and we switch from fossil fuel based to more sustainable energy options.
This auction was held over 2019 and 2020 and was well received by the renewable energy industry. Through that auction, two preferred proponents have been identified. We are in negotiations with these proponents, and we are now ready to sign agreements with them after that negotiation process. These agreements will bring to fruition the process we embarked on together back in June 2019 to secure the ACT’s renewable electricity future.
Unfortunately, late last week, when preparing the necessary instruments, it was discovered that the instrument I signed in November 2019 granting a capacity release was never notified or tabled in the Assembly. This is an unfortunate and regrettable administrative error. People are only human, and sometimes mistakes are made. I am sorry that this has occurred and that the Assembly now has to consider this urgent correction.
On this occasion, a small error has large consequences. The import of this error is that, under the existing legislation, I will not be able to sign feed-in tariff entitlements for the two preferred proponents at this time. The legislation generally calls for the FIT entitlements to be signed only after six sitting days have passed following presentation to the Legislative Assembly of the capacity release.
Given the current situation of an election, a continuing health emergency and no more sitting days, this delay could be significant. It is likely that this would mean that a minister would not be in a position to sign entitlements until sometime in 2021. Such delays run two major risks.
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