<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/bids-for-australias-biggest-wind-and-solar-tender-close-on-tuesday-will-it-be-the-last/>
"Bids for what is likely to be the biggest wind and solar tender to be held in
Australia close this week – at 5pm on Tuesday – with the increasingly grim
possibility that it could be the last, at least at this scale.
The federal Labor government has promised to deliver at least 23 gigawatts (GW)
of new wind and solar capacity, plus another 9 GW (36 GWh) of storage capacity
as part of its Capacity Investment Scheme, the key initiative to help the
country meet its target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030.
The first of those tenders was finalised late last year, with 19 projects and
more than 6.3 GW of wind and solar capacity, many of them paired with big
batteries (3.6 GWh), winning the right to a type of underwriting agreement with
the government.
The second of those generation tenders closes on Tuesday, seeking another 6 GW
of capacity – and the level of interest suggest that the final allocation could
be even bigger.
But whether the result of this tender, due at the end of the year, ever sees
the light of day, and if others are able to follow, as planned by Labor, will
likely depend on the outcome of the federal election due to be held by May.
The result of that election now looking increasingly precarious, if the latest
opinion polls are to be believed. Neither Labor nor the Coalition are likely to
secure a majority, and polls now suggest the Coalition could be in a position
to secure the support of a handful of independents to get across the line.
Labor’s only hope of retaining power is with the support of independents, and
of The Greens. But it is not entirely clear, given the dislike of such
arrangements by prime minister Anthony Albanese, that it wishes to do that.
That outcome has precedence: Last year, in Tasmania, both the Liberals and
Labor fell short of a majority in the state election, but after the then Labor
leader Rebecca White held out the possibility of a deal with independents, she
was gone within days. Labor’s central committee decided it would rather not be
in government than seeking to share power.
A federal Coalition government, even with the support of conservative
independents, would, of course, be disastrous for the renewables industry in
Australia, if their policies – vague as they might be – are enacted."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
