WATER CORPORATION — NET ZERO EMISSIONS
794. Ms C.M. TONKIN to the Minister for Water:
I refer to the impacts that climate change is having on the
water supply for Perth and surrounding regions, and the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to delivering net zero emissions by 2050. Can
the minister update the house on how the Water Corporation will use zero carbon
emission technology in its work to secure WA's long-term water
supplies, including by securing the development rights for one of our state's
largest renewable wind energy projects?
Mr D.J. KELLY
replied:
I thank the member for Churchlands for her question and her
ongoing interest in all things to do with sustainability.
I am really pleased to draw the house's attention to
an announcement we made on Saturday; that is, that the Water Corporation has
purchased the development rights for one of the state's largest wind
farm projects, which will be built near
Kojonup. Why has it done that? Members will have heard me speak on a number of
occasions about the impact of climate change on water supplies in WA,
but particularly in the south west. Declining rainfall now means that dams make up less than 10 per cent of
the water for Perth and surrounds, and that largely it is groundwater
and desalination. Desalination is good in that it is reliable, but it is very,
very energy intensive. Members will be aware that we have committed to a third
desal plant by 2028 at Alkimos, so the situation will get even more critical
for the Water Corporation. It takes 40 times more energy to create water
through desalination than it does through dams. The Water Corporation's
energy consumption has gone, if you like, through the roof.
Apart from Synergy itself, the Water Corporation is the
government's largest consumer of electricity, and the Water Corporation
is one of the largest individual customers. This means our greenhouse gas
emissions have gone through the roof. The McGowan government is committed to
getting to net zero by 2050. The Water Corporation, in response to its reliance
on desalination, has committed to a plan to get to net zero by 2035. The first
step is the purchase of this wind farm project at Kojonup. I congratulate the
team at the Water Corporation for the work they have done on this project. It
will consist of 24 wind turbines, each 200 metres high, about 20 to 30
kilometres south east of Kojonup. I will put that into perspective. I think
that wind farms look absolutely fantastic. The wind turbines will be 200 metres
high. The Statue of Liberty is 93 metres tall, so they will be more than twice
the height of the Statue of Liberty. The top floor of Central Park in the Perth
CBD is 200 metres off the ground. These turbines will sit up there at a height
equivalent to that of Central Park. I love a good wind turbine. When we look at
them, we see the engineering that goes into them. They are creating renewable
energy and they are so important to the future of the planet. I think they are
absolutely marvellous.
Not everybody shares that joy. I always like the former
Leader of the Liberal Party, Tony Abbott, who once said in an interview with
Alan Jones —
�
the last thing we want is what I regard as the dark Satanic Mills of the modern
era spoiling our landscape �
That sentiment is why, on this side of the house, we take
climate change really seriously. We will put the effort, rigour and investment
into dealing with climate change. Unfortunately, on the other side, in the
other corner of the house, the Liberal Party and the Nationals WA are still
riddled with climate change deniers. We will get on and do the job.
As I said, I congratulate the team at Water Corp for the work
that they have done. Finally, I give a shout-out to the board of Moonies Hill Energy, which is a local Western Australian company
that got this project to the stage at which the Water Corporation has
bought it. I understand that most of them, at least, are Kojonup locals. Sarah
Rankin, Michael Baulch and Hamish Thorn are the directors of Moonies Hill
Energy. I thank them and congratulate them for the work that they have done on
this project. We look forward to being partners with them going into the
future. The Water Corporation has an ambitious plan to be net zero by 2035. I am
confident that it will do it.