QUICK FACTS
- Hydro’s Tasmania First directive will remove barriers to Hydro partnering and investing in new renewable energy generation.
- Partnering with proponents will ensure Tasmania’s energy needs are met at the lowest possible cost, keeping power prices low.
- It will deliver our energy security.
- Legislation to create a REZ will be introduced within 100 days.
- The first REZ will be in the North West to support multiple proponents to connect new generation and load into the grid.
- New training facility would support 15-20 new apprentices each year.
- Providing regional training and jobs opportunities will help our regions to thrive and reap the benefits of a clean energy future.
- Tasmania will leverage its deep water port at Bell Bay to support the energy transition, ensuring the benefits are returned to Tasmania.
Under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, a re-elected majority Liberal Government will:
- Drive new generation through our Hydro Tasmania First directive
- Invest $4 million into developing a state-of-the-art industry training facility on the North West Coast in partnership with industry, with a dedicated focus on Renewable Energy skills
- Deliver a streamlined investment and approvals pathway for major renewable energy projects, ensuring Tasmania is one of the easiest places to invest in new renewable energy projects
- Introduce legislation into Parliament to create Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) with the first zone in the North West
- Designate Bell Bay as a Renewable Energy Service Hub.
An important part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future is delivering new renewable energy generation to create jobs and ensure that Tasmanians continue to have the lowest power prices in the nation.
Partnering to bring on new energy generation for Tasmania’s future
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will ensure Hydro is an economic driver for Tasmania and continues to be a renewable energy powerhouse, putting the interests of Tasmania first. We will drive new renewable energy generation to support jobs and provide the power that industries need to grow.
To bring new generation online for Tasmania’s future energy needs, we need to build more wind and solar farms. Private sector proponents are doing a lot of the heavy lifting, leading the charge on planning and development approvals.
To make sure these projects deliver benefits for Tasmania, we need to leverage our hydro history and assets so that on-island cheap, renewable generation continues to provide Tasmania with the lowest power prices in the nation.
Directing Hydro back to its foundation principles will help deliver the lowest power prices in the nation, while ensuring we reap the same benefits the hydro pioneers did in building new energy generation in the first place. This will create jobs for Tasmanians during construction and ongoing opportunities with industries who come, and stay, in Tasmania to benefit from our affordable, renewable energy.
Refocusing Hydro Tasmania will help increase new on-island generation for Tasmania’s future, supporting wind and solar farm developments, in addition to increasing its hydro generation capacity. Hydro will play a key role in increasing our on-island generation to ensure Tasmania’s ongoing energy security.
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will direct Hydro to partner with energy generators to build and deliver energy products to market that benefit Tasmania.
This will mean using Hydro’s knowledge, skills, and capacity to support new wind and solar generation projects.It includes firming and providing access to markets and developing Tasmania’s on-island generation capacity to ensure our power bills stay the lowest in the nation.
This partnership will work with our Renewable Energy Zone policy on community benefits to ensure that Tasmanian communities keep the benefits of hosting renewable energy infrastructure in their regions.
Renewable Energy Approval Pathway
The Renewable Energy Approval Pathway will provide a pathway for projects, such as wind farms and transmission lines, through the Major Projects Assessment process.
We already have significant renewable energy projects in the pipeline, and the new approvals pathway will ensure we continue to build that resource.
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will establish assessment protocols between the Tasmanian and Australian Governments to address current shortages creating regulatory delays and inconsistent advice.
We are also establishing a Major Renewable Energy Project case management team within Government, made up of dedicated case management officers and a cross agency team to facilitate a more integrated and coordinated pre-assessment process. Further this will establish a coordinated pre-assessment which considers a Reserve Activity Assessment and related assessment processes - parallel to the major projects.
Further details can be found at:https://recfit.tas.gov.au/renewables/renewable_energy_approval_pathway
Investing in infrastructure
Infrastructure to support new renewable energy generation projects is critical to delivering the energy Tasmania wants and needs to grow.
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will introduce legislation into Parliament in the first 100 days to create a framework for Renewable Energy Zones, starting in the North-West of Tasmania. A Renewable Energy Zone in the North West will facilitate the delivery of the North-West Transmission line upgrades needed to bring on new energy generation.
A REZ in the North West will assist the government in underwriting the North-West Transmission line, supporting at least three wind farms proponents and significant load proponents to connect to the grid. This measure will provide investor certainty and confidence, backed by the government, to progress their developments.
In parallel, it will ensure that Tasmanians don’t pay the price for energy infrastructure that isn’t required. Proponents will have to commit to the development for the REZ support to be provided, meaning costs are only paid on what is essential and those costs are shared by those who benefit from the infrastructure.
This is a fair and equitable way to invest in infrastructure, support developments and energy generation to grow our economy and create jobs, all while ensuring Tasmanians do not wear the costs.
Communities hosting renewable energy projects should be the ones who see the most benefits returned to them, and we will ensure this through our REZ legislation.
Investing in our people
One of the biggest direct benefits to host communities for renewable energy projects is the jobs that will flow to the regions. We want to make sure our people in our regions are workforce ready, with the skills to take advantage of the projects in their region.
As our energy sector grows, demand for skilled labour will increase. To develop the renewable energy generation our state needs, we need skilled people to fill the jobs that will be created. Now is the time to invest in renewable energy training so that Tasmanians can benefit from the jobs being created in their own regions.
Tasmania is well placed to develop our renewable energy skills in electrical, solar renewable energy to create a workforce ready to capitalise on the nation’s renewable energy transition and the key role Tasmania will play in it.
Projects like Marinus Link are anticipated to create up to 1,400 jobs in Tasmania during peak construction and generate around $1.4 billion in direct economic stimulus. With many more projects proposed in the North West, there are exciting job opportunities for this region.
That is why a re-elected majority Liberal Government will invest $4 million into developing a state-of-the-art industry training facility on the North West Coast in partnership with industry, with a dedicated focus on renewable energy skills.
This training facility will be delivered by industry, in partnership with government, supporting students in our regions, to participate in our renewable energy future.
A training centre in the North West will not only benefit the region itself, but also the whole state, creating a skilled renewable energy workforce for the future of Tasmania. Modelling our highly successful partnership with the building and construction industry through our Hi-Vis Army, which has supported new training facilities in Hobart, a range of apprentice programs and support for women in construction, all targeted at expanding our workforce by 25 per cent from 2021 levels.
We will grow this partnership with the Master Builders Tasmania, the Housing Industry and Civil Contractors Federation to include our electrical industry associations, with NECA and Master Electricians to ensure essential electrical skills are developed to support our clean energy future.
Leveraging our existing assets to grow Tasmania’s future
With the national renewable energy transition, Tasmania is well-placed to capture jobs and economic development opportunities as a result of the transition. There are many services required to develop renewable energy infrastructure across the nation. Key to these services is having access to ports.
Tasmania has already proven its capacity in renewable energy, being one of the oldest renewable energy jurisdictions in the world. We can harness this expertise, along with our logistics infrastructure, such as our port access to service the rest of the nations’ demand, ensuring that there are jobs for Tasmanians in a broad range of industries and that economic benefits of the national transition flow to Tasmania wherever possible.
With our deep water port at Bell Bay that already sits in an industrial zone, with infrastructure connections and ample land for development, Bell Bay is ideally situated to become a services powerhouse for the renewable energy industry.
A re-elected majority Liberal Government will pursue Bell Bay to be a Renewable Energy Service Hub. We will work with the private market to unlock a suitable location at Bell Bay to take advantage of this opportunity.
Net Cost:$9 million in operating costs and $55 million in capital expenditure / equity injections.
$4 million for training facility.