With WA Labor sweeping to power and Mark McGowan to be the state’s new Premier, what do the next few years hold for new solar power and other renewable energy initiatives in Western Australia?
It doesn’t look like a great deal initially; although as part of its election commitments WA Labor has promised $30 million to support the establishment of a solar farm in Collie.
As for WA following some other states in implementing its own renewable energy target:
“WA Labor will not introduce a State-based renewable energy target. We aspire to have more renewable energy. After the election, we will sit down with industry and the community to see what is achievable and affordable,” said Bill Johnston in a very brief statement in February. Mr. Johnston may be the state’s new Energy Minister.
In Mr. McGowan’s 200 Fresh Ideas booklet (PDF), the only mention of renewables is idea number 38.
“Encourage research intensive programs into renewable energy and battery technology at our universities.”
While there doesn’t appear to be a lot in store at this point, it’s not as though West Australians need a lot of encouragement to go solar in order to help manage their energy costs.
According to information from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator, there are now more than 220,000 solar power systems installed throughout the state. That’s not too shabby given the population of Western Australia is well under 3 million.
On a related note, an important platform for WA Labor was the issue of privatisation of Western Power. The State Government owned corporation builds, maintains and operates the electricity network in the south west corner of Western Australia.
“A McGowan Labor Government will stop the privatisation of Western Power. That’s an iron-clad guarantee,” said Mr. McGowan last Tuesday.
“Everyone knows that when you privatise State-owned utilities, power prices go up, and services go down. We’ve seen it time and time again. It’s not in the best interests of everyday Western Australians.”
Mr. McGowan says that in 2015-16, Western Power provided more than $550 million in payments to the State Government.
Not everyone agrees with Mark McGowan’s assessment. Among them is Rod Sims, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chief.
“If Western Power was privatised that would lower power prices because the new owner would be more efficient,” Mr Sims reportedly told The West Australian last week.
