RENEWABLE ENERGY —
SECTION 91 LICENCES
1001. Hon NEIL THOMSON to the Minister for Hydrogen Industry:
I refer to recent comments by the
Minister for Hydrogen Industry at the budget estimates during the hearing for
the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation on 21 October 2021 when
it was said that exclusive section 91 licences were being issued for the
purposes of renewable energy.
(1) How many section 91 licences
have been issued to renewable energy companies?
(2) How many active applications for
section 91 licences are being considered?
(3) For those licences issued and
under consideration in parts (1) and (2) —
(a) please list
the companies, the location of the section 91 licence and the area in hectares
of land affected;
(b) is an Indigenous land use
agreement a prerequisite to the granting of section 91 licences; and
(c) how many of the licences allow renewable energy
companies to construct infrastructure including windmills and solar
arrays?
(4) Will the section 91 licences
referred to above exclude any other activities over the sites?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
The following information is provided by me, in conjunction with the Minister for
Lands.
(1) Four licences have been issued.
(2) Ninety active applications are
being considered.
(3) (a) NW Interconnected Power Pty Ltd, Pilbara, 660 000
hectares; NW Interconnected Power Pty Ltd, Goldfields–Esperance,
1 750 000 hectares; Hydrogen Renewables Australia Pty Ltd, midwest, 120 000 hectares;
and Province Resources Ltd, midwest, 10 000 hectares. The details of the
proposals under consideration are commercial-in-confidence.
(b) No. The Minister for Lands will grant a section 91
licence when written consent has been obtained from the relevant native title party. An Indigenous land use agreement
will be required for the grant of subsequent tenure.
(c) The granted
section 91 licences have allowed for various investigatory work, which may
include the temporary installation of equipment to collect wind and solar data,
subject to the agreement of the native title holders and any other entity with
a legal interest in the land.
(4) No, but when they are exclusive section 91
licences, no other party will be granted access for a similar purpose.