Question Without Notice No. 750 asked in the Legislative Council on 1 November 2017 by Hon Jim Chown
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT — CARNEGIE CLEAN ENERGY
750. Hon JIM CHOWN to the Minister for Regional Development:
I am sure the Leader of the House will be most grateful that my question today is mercifully short!
As Minister for Regional Development, what was the minister's involvement in the decision-making process that resulted in Carnegie Clean Energy receiving a grant of $19.5 million?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question and his ongoing interest in this fantastic Albany wave energy project.
The $19.5 million referred to by the member is the total state government contribution to the Albany wave energy project. Carnegie Clean Energy Ltd will receive $15.75 million from the state as a contribution to the technology development portion of the project. As part of the technology development project, Carnegie will build common-user infrastructure in Albany that will be handed over to the state and made available to other wave energy developers.
Carnegie's proposal includes significant leverage funding through federal and private investment, including $11.7 million from the commonwealth government's Australian Renewable Energy Agency. Following a competitive tender process, I received a recommendation from an independent evaluation panel that had been approved by the deputy director general of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. I then provided the department with approval to negotiate on the contract terms and execute the final agreement.