Question On Notice No. 2598 asked in the Legislative Council on 23 October 2019 by Hon Tim Clifford
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Energy
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the Transforming Energy Generation section of the Climate Change in Western Australia issues paper, specifically the following statement, “If Western Australia is to make a contribution to national emissions reduction, it is estimated that over $10 billion of investment is required in infrastructure, storage and large scale generation”, and I ask:
(a) over what time period is this investment required to be made;
(b) is the estimated $10 billion of investment a reflection of the total investment required by Western Australia (i.e. private and government investment), or is it a reflection of the investment that is solely required by the State Government;
(c) in reference to the choice of language, “If Western Australia is to make a contribution…”, rather than “When Western Australia is to make a contribution…”, will the Minister confirm whether the Western Australian Government intends to make the $10 billion investment required to contribute to national emissions reduction;
(d) if no to (c), will the Minister please explain why the State Government will not be making this investment; and
(e) if the State Government does plan to make a contribution to national emissions reduction, albeit less than the $10 billion investment required:
(i) what is the predicted cost of that investment; and
(ii) what will that investment contribute to (e.g. infrastructure, storage, large-scale generation)?
Answered on 27 November 2019
(a) Over the next two decades.
(b) This figure is an initial high level estimate of the total investment required in Western Australia’s main electricity grid in the south west, including public and private investment.
(c) The State Government will continue to make appropriate investments to ensure the safety, reliability and affordability of energy as Western Australia transitions to lower emission energy technologies. The State’s Energy Transformation Strategy will guide these investments and facilitate private sector investment.
(d) Not applicable
(e)
(i) The exact amount of State Government investment that will be needed is not known. The Energy Transformation Strategy will provide better information on the nature and scale of the investments required. The State Climate Policy that is currently under developed will also guide decision making.
(ii) It is expected that investment in large scale generation, transmission, storage, distributed energy resources and other items will be required over time.