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Category: Electricity Energy and Utilities / Hydro Energy / States and Territories

Senate inquiry into Tasmania's power crisis begins

Thursday, 14 Apr 2016 06:29:52 | Rosemary Bolger

Emergency diesel generators are helping boost power supplies. (ABC News: Ellen Coulter)

The prospect of massive air pollution from emergency diesel generators has been raised, as a Senate inquiry into Tasmania's power crisis gets underway

Key points:

  • Nick McKim claims diesel emissions equivalent to 156,000 more cars
  • Hydro Tasmania and Basslink decline to appear before the inquiry
  • Bruny Islanders encouraged to turn their homes into solar power stations

State Energy Minister Matthew Groom and Bell Bay Aluminium boss Ray Mostogl are among the first witnesses set to appear before the inquiry starting today, established by the federal Greens and Labor to look at Tasmania's energy crisis.

Record low Hydro dams and the extended outage of Basslink's undersea power cable to Victoria have forced the state to rely on more than 100 diesel generators to supplement hydro output, with plans to install another 100 generators by the end of the month.

Tasmanian Greens senator Nick McKim - who is on the Senate inquiry committee - is concerned about the prospect of burning more than 90 million litres of diesel to keep them running for four months.

"That's almost 250,000 tonnes of carbon equivalent emissions over that four-month period, which is the same as adding 156,000 cars to Tasmania's roads," he said.

"Clearly we have an environmental crisis on our hands as well as an energy and economic crisis."

The Government and Hydro Tasmania have not revealed if the diesel generators will be needed beyond mid-June when the Basslink cable is expected to be fixed.

"One question that we have is, for what period has he leased these generators? Does he intend to phase them out, will he stop them all at once?" Senator McKim said.

Growth Minister Matthew Groom Photo: The inquiry will examine Matthew Groom's handling of the energy crisis. (ABC News: Gregor Salmon)

Hydro Tasmania and Basslink have declined to appear at the hearing.

Labor senator Carol Brown, who is also a member of the committee, said Mr Groom needed to explain the thinking behind plans to sell the Tamar Valley Power Station last year, and whether the major industrials were consulted about the decision.

"If he hasn't, we'll be asking why, and you would have thought that was absolutely one of the things he should've been doing," she said.

The hearing will also consider the potential of renewable energy and wind farms to help improve the future energy security of the state.

The Senate inquiry begins as Bruny Island residents are being encouraged to turn their homes into mini power stations as part of a $3 million research project.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has provided the grant for the project, designed to ease power constraints during peak season for the popular tourist destination.

The makers of the technology, that allows homes with solar power and batteries to be paid for the energy that they put back into the grid, believe it has the potential to transform electricity markets.

Reposit Power chief executive Dean Spaccavento said in the past TasNetworks had deployed diesel generators to meet the extra load, but would now pay customers who generated excess energy.

"The customers are becoming little power stations and they are getting paid for it," he said.

AustraliaPlus


 

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