ALKIMOS BATTERY PROJECT
262. Hon PETER COLLIER to
the minister representing the Minister for Energy:
I refer to Synergy's
advertising campaign for the Alkimos battery project.
(1) What was the total cost of the
advertising campaign?
(2) Over what period was the
campaign expected to run?
(3) Did the
minister approve the advertising campaign?
(4) What was the
rationale for the campaign, given Synergy has a monopoly over the residential
market?
(5) Was the campaign terminated
early; and, if so, on what basis?
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the Leader of the Opposition
for some notice of the question.
(1) There is no
specific advertising campaign for the Alkimos battery project. The project is
part of Synergy's broader communications to its customers and as such
the cost of advertising for the Alkimos battery project is unable to be
specifically itemised.
(2) Communications
regarding the Alkimos battery project will continue for the duration of the
trial of the new technology energy storage so that impacts on the network and
benefits to customers can be understood.
(3) The minister
is not required to approve Synergy's operational activities. The
Alkimos battery project was launched by the former Minister for Energy, Dr Mike
Nahan, in April 2016 and Synergy has been communicating since then to its
customers regarding the trial.
(4) The Alkimos
battery project is trialling new technology energy storage and evaluating its
potential impact on traditional generation, the network and its benefits to
customers. Synergy has and will continue to communicate about the trial to the
energy stakeholders, including electricity customers. Synergy is not
communicating specifically about a product that it is bringing to market that
is broadly available in the residential market, but communicating about a trial
of new technology that may form the foundation for electricity generation,
storage and distribution in the future. More broadly, Synergy communicates with
its customers to highlight relevant services and products that broaden customer
access to energy solutions and help manage energy costs.
(5) No.