Bowen’s huge week of green energy announcements

By Peter Roberts

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has topped off a national tour of green energy projects across the country with the inauguration of a community battery in Bondi, New South Wales.

Flanked by CEOs Marc England of Ausgrid, Frank Calabria of Origin and Mark Collett of Energy Australia he revealed that the government would be able to finance more than the 400 batteries initially envisaged.

Bowen said: “Now we promised 400.

“I do have to tell you we’re going to break that promise, because it’s under budget and we’re going to deliver 420 instead with that spare money.”

Bowen said that household battery installation was also on the rise – from one in 60 households when Labor came to office to one in 40 today.

But then Bown opened up about his ‘pretty busy week’: “You know, on Tuesday I was in Brisbane announcing the development of the first low carbon liquid fuels refinery in Australia.

“…​The next day I was in Gladstone with Orica where they have reduced their emissions by 50 per cent, and a very big plant in Gladstone, because of our industrial reforms, our industrial safeguards reforms.

“The next day I was back in Sydney with Splend, who with government support are providing 500 more EVs for car share drivers, ride share drivers, because they get the real benefits.

“…And yesterday I joined with Ampol to announce we’re supporting 200 more EV chargers at Ampol service stations across the country.

“And here we are ending the week in Bondi today to open your community battery. So it’s been a pretty good week of progress.”

Bowen kicked off an Australia wide celebration tour of renewable energy projects three weeks ago with a series of visits to key sites proposed for a nuclear power station by the Coalition.

The tour highlighted the lack of community and industry consultation in the Coalition’s nuclear announcement – the private sector is racing ahead with green power developments at all the former sites.

At Port Augusta in South Australia Bowen inspected progress on a green cement and green concrete plant being built at the former coal power station site by the Hallett Group.

Next day he was at the Mt Piper power station in New South Wales where EnergyAustralia confirmed it is pursuing construction of a big battery and pumped hydro power plant at the site.

On the same day $91 million in grants were announced for decarbonisation projects in hard to abate industries with Incitec Pivot, Boyne Smelters and Kestrel Coal big winners.

@AuManufacturing hasn’t been able to report all Bowen’s visits and announcements – but Bowen did have time to drop in at the National Press Club in Canberra to deliver a speech.

Here he made a carefully calibrated statement on the continuing role for gas as a supporting player in a switch to renewables dominated by wind, grid-scale and rooftop solar PV and battery storage.

There is no future place for coal or nuclear in Bowen’s worldview.

It is easy to underestimate the array of exciting projects underway in Australia’s green energy transition, the seminal role of a committed government and the eager involvement of a broad spectrum of the private sector.

But it, and Bowen’s role impressed even the well regarded independent MHR for Wentworth Allegra Spender enough for her to forget politics enough to give credit where credit is due.

Spender told the event marking the inauguration of the Bondi community battery: “So I also want to pay tribute to Minister Bowen.

“I know you’ve been incredibly passionate about community batteries from the get‑go, and proud that Labor is doing so much in this area across the country.”

Further reading:
Orica decarbonises chemicals, fertiliser and explosives production
Bowen visits green cement plant at coalition n-power site
Batteries and pumped hydro for Mt Piper – EnergyAustralia
Incitec Pivot, Boyne Smelters among winners of $91 million in grants for hard-to-abate industries
Gas has a future but will be used less often – Bowen

​Picture: Ausgrid/community batteries unlock significant savings for customers