In a week when global temperatures are exceeding all historic records, and the melting Antarctic ice gets a mention on the ABC finance report, the Queensland government has announced the next step in its long march to renewable energy dominance of the state grid: twelve new Renewable Energy Zones. Alan Kohler, popular finance presenter on the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), stunned audiences a few days ago when he showed a graph of the melting of Antarctic sea ice and gave the warning: “That’s not finance yet, but it soon will be.” Watch the finance report here.
It’s only one minute and 52 seconds, and has been described as “brilliant” in the way it links environmental and economic health.
In this context, the Queensland government’s announcement of a plan to establish 12 Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) throughout the state over the next decade is welcome news. The REZ will be spread throughout the state, will be located in the southern, central, northern, and far northern areas of the state. It is expected that the work will be done by Powerlink Queensland. Ironically, these REZ will be funded by an increase in coal royalties paid by some of the biggest fossil fuel exporters. Victoria and New South Wales have already begun the process of setting up REZ.
“A REZ is an area with strong wind and sun that is developed in a coordinated way to lower costs and improve local community, environmental, and cultural heritage outcomes,” according to the draft roadmap. Mick de Brenni, Queensland’s Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, says: “Renewable energy is bringing new jobs and opportunities to regional communities, including high-value battery manufacturing, critical minerals, biofuels, hydrogen and materials recycling.
“The draft Roadmap outlines the pathway for connecting 22 gigawatts of new wind and solar generation — eight times more renewable energy than Queensland has now. This REZ development represents a steady pipeline of ongoing construction jobs and other community benefits over the coming years.
“We have created a framework for developing REZs that works with landholders, communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, industry and regional stakeholders across all stages of REZ development.”
Queensland’s current grid produces and consumes about 8 GW of power per day and has a target of 50% renewables by 2030, 70% by 2032, and 80% by 2035. Currently, on a cloudy morning, the Queensland grid is only 14% renewable. The national target set by the federal government is an 82% renewables target for the electricity grid by 2030, described by the federal minster for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen as “highly ambitious, but achievable.” It would be a lot simpler if various states and territories could have the same targets. But then again, this is Australia, where all the states have different rail gauges.
The government draft roadmap seeks the views of local people in order that REZ investment will leave a positive legacy in communities. Like any major transition, the move to renewables needs social license to proceed. It is expected that there will be multiple opportunities for local businesses to provide essential services like accommodation, manufacturing, and training. The aim is to empower communities to shape outcomes by setting up “Regional Energy Reference Groups.”
“REZs are critical to ensuring Queenslanders have access to affordable energy in the long term, as well as creating regional job opportunities, and lowering Queensland emissions. They will deliver a steady pipeline of approximately 4,000 direct ongoing renewable energy construction jobs. These jobs are part of 100,000 direct and indirect jobs expected by 2040 detailed in the QEJP to build our SuperGrid and in emerging green opportunities like renewable hydrogen, battery manufacturing, resource mining and metal refining.
“Regional and remote Queensland covers a vast area of the state and is home to a diverse range of communities with strong links to country, agricultural production, minerals and commercial industries. From Outback Queensland, including the regional centres of Mount Isa, Barcaldine, and Charleville to Cape York and the Torres Strait, remote communities have historically relied on diesel generation as an energy source. As these communities are not connected to Queensland’s main electricity grid, other projects will be delivered to support regional communities through the energy transformation.”
Western (Outback) Queensland is the home to grain farmers and vast sheep and cattle properties. Northern Queensland has an estimated AU$700 billion worth of critical minerals (including vanadium and copper). Townsville and Gladstone are industrial hubs currently being primed for the transition from coal exports to green hydrogen. Southern Queensland is relatively densely populated due to the location of the state capital, Brisbane.
“Outback Queensland is home to more than 100 megawatts (MW) of large-scale renewable energy projects. Since 2015, more than $300 million has been invested in operational renewable energy projects, creating around 300 jobs. Over the longer-term, an estimated $1.1 billion is expected to be invested in Outback Queensland to build additional electricity infrastructure up until 2040.”
The Queensland government is putting its money (or more likely, the excess income from coal royalties) where its mouth is by immediately allocating $AU 6 million to “strategically assess infrastructure, transport, housing and accommodation, workforce, supply chains, waste management, other land uses, and social infrastructure, as well as local industry and First Nations considerations, across the three regions.”
If Queensland and Australia can harness the combination of wind, solar, and large expanses of land to create green energy, the country could become one of the richest on earth. The proposed Renewable Energy Zones could create an economic boom as well as slowing the pace of climate change. A potential win for everyone. Can we build them out fast enough?
When the impacts of global warming get a mention as part of the finance report, it makes an impact. Financial institutions are waking up to the cost of doing nothing. The increase in severe weather events like bushfires, floods, droughts, and cyclones is costing economies billions of dollars in cleanup, mitigation, and lost productivity. Not to mention loss of life. In Australia, we are struggling to recover from one crisis before the next one hits, with many areas now uninsurable. Perhaps Alan is wrong when he says it is not finance yet. For all of us, weather events dictate our prosperity. Australia’s move towards greener energy production cannot come fast enough.
Featured image from Queensland government.
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