Thursday, 30 November 2023

Eastern Victoria Region

Tom McINTOSH (Eastern Victoria) (12:42): (610) My question is for the Minister for Climate Action in the other place. Energy storage will be a crucial piece of the puzzle to meet our ambitious emissions reduction targets. Victoria has put in place nation-leading targets of 2.6 gigawatts of renewable energy storage capacity by 2030, with an increased target of 6.3 gigawatts of storage by 2035. Minister, what is the Victorian government doing to ensure that we reach our battery storage targets so that we can put downward pressure on electricity prices and reduce emissions? Recently I visited the new 150-megawatt Hazelwood battery, which has capacity to power 75,000 homes during peak periods. The battery is one part of the wider rehabilitation work at the mine, which employs hundreds of people and is setting the area and Victoria up for the future. Renewable projects, including energy storage projects, are vitally important in Eastern Victoria to ensure a just transition for workers and communities away from fossil fuels.