Former Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has warned the state Labor government’s A$62 billion (US$39.59 billion) clean energy plan is too risky, saying the opposition should push Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to guarantee regular mums and dads will not be forced to pay more.
On Sept. 28, Palaszczuk revealed the bold plan for the state’s energy future which includes overhauling the grid so that 70 percent of the state’s power needs are supplied by renewables by 2032 and 80 percent by 2035. Currently, around 75 percent of the state’s power comes from coal-fired generation.
As part of the plan, the government will push to build two pumped hydro dams, one at Pioneer-Burdekin and the other at Borumba by 2035; a new “SuperGrid to connect solar, wind, battery, and hydrogen generators across the vast state; construct 11.5 gigawatts of rooftop solar and six gigawatts of embedded batteries, and stop operating coal-fired power stations by 2035 (except as back-up for renewable generators)….