Premier Roger Cook announces Collie to receive $134 million funding to secure town’s workforce

[Author 0]

Premier Roger Cook announces Collie to receive $134 million funding to secure town’s workforce

Premier Roger Cook announces Collie to receive $134 million funding to secure town’s workforce

Premier Roger Cook has vowed the South West town of Collie will remain the “heart” of WA’s energy grid, marking a milestone at the site of Synergy’s “big battery” and announcing an extra $134 million to help unlock vacant industrial land for new jobs.

State-owned coal fired power stations are due to power down in 2030, but the State Government says renewable energy and other industries are already starting to fill the void.

Mr Cook and Energy Minister Reece Whitby watched as another part of the $1.6 billion dollar Collie battery storage system was lifted into place on Tuesday and said it is proof there is a strong future in the town without coal.

“The energy transition is the biggest economic opportunity for generations in Western Australia,” Mr Cook said.

The Collie battery is due to be connected to the South West grid in 2025 and will have the capacity to power 785,000 “average” homes for about four hours.

“Four hours doesn’t seem much but it is critical and it is a game changer for our system,” Mr Whitby said.

Camera IconState-owned coal fired power stations are due to power down in 2030, but the State Government says renewable energy and other industries are already starting to fill the void.  Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

“Peak demand in Western Australia is between six and nine o’clock at night so about three critical hours … that is the time we need to service.”

Labor member for Collie-Preston Jodie Hann challenged Peter Dutton to visit Collie to reveal the detail of his plans to build a nuclear power station.

“I think it’s incredibly important that the Federal Opposition come and explain their position,” she said.

Mr Whitby called the Liberal party’s nuclear policy a “sham” and a “dodgy pipe dream”.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconPremier Roger Cook’s press conference at the Collie ‘big battery’. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian

“They’re going to keep burning dirty coal in the belief and hope that nuclear makes sense when we know it doesn’t.”

Shadow Energy Minister Steve Thomas said the State Opposition has a policy focussed on keeping the lights on while transitioning from coal, but won’t lock in an end-date until an extra 300 megawatts of gas supply is secured.

“It is foolish and ideological to simply announce a time frame that sounds nice and green without being able to ensure that you have adequate energy,” he said.

He agreed a nuclear power station would take at least a decade to build and cost more to connect.

“But we shouldn’t be afraid of talking about it,” he said.

Source link

#Premier #Roger #Cook #announces #Collie #receive #million #funding #secure #towns #workforce

Pelican News

Source Link