The ACT’s second wind auction for a further 200MW of capacity was opened yesterday by the Territory’s Minister for the Environment, Simon Corbell.
The extra capacity will power the equivalent of 106,000 Canberra homes with clean electricity and take the ACT up to 80% of its forecasted electricity requirements in 2020. In 2013, the ACT set a renewable energy target of 90% by 2020.
“The first ACT wind auction set a new record for low-cost renewable energy in Australia, and I anticipate another highly competitive process in the second project,” said Minister Corbell.
“There is an abundance of excellent wind power projects looking for long-term contracts, and amid continuing uncertainty under the national scheme, this is the optimal time for the ACT Government to call for proposals.”
Like the first, this second auction will be based not only the ability to deliver capacity at the lowest cost and in a timely fashion, but also on community support and potential for local job creation.
“Renewable energy jobs are growing in the ACT with new national and international operations hubs being established and major research, education and training partnerships being formed. This new auction will further grow our ability to provide knowledge-based services to the multi-trillion dollar global renewable energy industry,” said the Minister.
Proposals for wind projects of up to 100MW capacity must be lodged by 30 September.
The winners of the first wind auction were announced in February this year – Ararat Wind Farm (Victoria), Coonooer Bridge Wind Farm (Victoria) and Hornsdale Wind Farm (South Australia).
It was announced late last week that work will soon start on the Hornsdale Wind Farm; creating up to 250 jobs.
In other ACT renewable energy news, The Canberra Times reports Minister Corbell has set a deadline of December 2016 for connecting solar rooftop installations under the Territory’s premium feed in tariff scheme. The Minister also closed a yet-to-be-exploited loophole regarding rooftop solar that could potentially allow solar households to charge their home battery storage systems with cheap off-peak electricity and sell it back to ACTEW at the premium feed-in tariff rate.
