Greenpeace have launched a petition that they will deliver to the headquarters of Origin, AGL and Energy Australia ‘in a spectacular, public way that they won’t be able to ignore’.
The ‘Dirty 3’, says Greenpeace, which control 77% of the residential energy market; are lobbying hard to destroy the strongest driver of renewable energy in Australia – the Renewable Energy Target.
“They just don’t want any competition. So they’re using their political muscle to try to destroy the Renewable Energy Target, which would lock out solar and wind and lock in higher household bills and climate-driving coal and gas power for decades to come.”
This isn’t just an environmental issue – cutting or abolishing the Renewable Energy Target will result in the loss of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars of investment and also increase electricity bills.
According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the only parties that stand to benefit from a gutting of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target would be the fossil fuel based power generators; which would rake in 6-12 billion dollars in extra revenue from 2015 to 2020. Households would be $142 worse-off each year.
“The Dirty Three are trying to squeeze as much profit out of consumers as it can before their old business model is completely broken,” state’s Greenpeace’s petition page. “But while it suits them to harm renewable energy, it’s certainly not in the interests of the rest of us.”
Greenpeace is planning a hard-hitting and high profile campaign to expose what it says are the real motivations behind Origin Energy, AGL and Energy Australia’s stance on the RET; which will be launched in a few weeks.
“For now, let’s start by showing the Dirty Three – who rely on us for their revenue – that we’re not impressed when they play dirty. Every name on this petition is a potential customer lost, and a person with the power to spread the word to others,” says the group.
Related:
Renewable Energy Target – Costs Vs. Benefits.
