PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Federal Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has called on the state and territory governments to unlock more gas for the domestic market.
Quoting the latest official electricity data, Taylor noted that gas fired electricity generation accounted for 21% of Australia’s total electricity generation last year, driven largely by growth in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
“Gas is flexible and provides the dispatchable capacity we increasingly need to balance intermittent renewables and deliver a secure, reliable and affordable electricity system to power our homes, businesses and industries.
“This has never been more important, particularly as we begin our recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is why the Australian government believes a gas-fired recovery will drive jobs and economic growth,” Taylor said.
“We now need state and territory governments to do their part to unlock more gas for the domestic market and encourage investment in reliable generation which will put downward pressure on wholesale prices.”
The data also demonstrates the importance of coal-fired generation, which continues to be an essential part of Australia’s energy mix, representing 56% of total generation in 2019, while energy generated from renewable sources grew to 21%, from 19% in 2018.
“This latest data also demonstrates the continuing importance of coal and the significant and growing reliance on gas to back our significant renewable capacity,” Taylor added.