A new report by two major environmental groups claims one of the biggest energy companies in Australia, Origin Energy, is pushing to halt the advancement of renewable energy in Australia.
According to the report, produces by Greenpeace Australia and 100% Renewable, dozens of renewable energy projects Australia wide are not being built, the leading cause being Origin Energy’s battle against these alternative energy sources.
T
he report says that while communities have been calling for wind and large scale solar programs to be introduced which are now occurring at much slower pace than previously thought; as Origin Energy is reportedly spreading misinformation about the costs of these programs.
The report links these new findings to Origin’s large investment into fossil fuels and gas projects, ignoring the renewable energy substitutes for the future.
It also says that the main priority for Origin is to protect these investments
It cites examples of Origins major investment in a coal steam gas to liquid natural gas in a Queensland facility; which cost the company an estimated of $24.7 billion.
The Greenpeace report says Origin Energy has worked to undermine renewable energy – and Australia’s very effective renewable energy target – in three key ways.
“Firstly, running a very public campaign calling for the renewable energy target to be cut.
“
This has involved Managing Director Grant King regularly speaking in the media, lobbying decision makers, and spreading misinformation about the cost of the target.
“Secondly, under investing in its own renewable energy portfolio.
“Origin has pursued an absolute minimum of wind investments, dropped away from being one of the countries leading solar installers, and walked away from investments in new emerging technologies, the report said.
“Thirdly, actively blocking other renewable energy developers projects by not issuing power purchase agreements required for those projects to go ahead.”
The Greenpeace report warns that Origin needs to be very careful about this strategy.
“Australians love renewable energy and will be very concerned to learn that one of the country’s biggest retailers is undermining our renewable energy future,” it states.
“Nobody should be surprised that a big fossil fuel and coal seam gas company wants to scuttle the Renewable Energy Target,” said John Grimes, CEO of the Australian Solar Council.
“The Australian government must ignore this ongoing campaign from vested interests and keep building our clean energy future,” said Mr Grimes.
The popularity that solar power has gained in Australia has marginally decreased the lucrativeness of such projects, with more than one million Australian homes now powered by solar energy.
“Origin has wide-ranging fossil fuel investments, as Australia moves to a low carbon economy. Its recent rhetoric shows Origin is under pressure from an increasingly competitive solar industry,” added Mr Grimes.
With the increased planting of large and small-scale wind and solar energy sources it has subsidised wholesale power prices.
Combined with a falling in demand of traditional power sources, the profitability of gas fired generators will also fall.
Although Origin boasts in shareholder reports of its renewable energy, these facts undermine the lackluster efforts of Origin’s actual investment, the report claims.
Origin managing director Grant King has stated with its recent fall out of the top ten list of solar installers that “solar has, in my view, had a terrible impact on consumers and has been over stimulated by feed-in tariffs. It’s just wrong and a consequence of poor policy.”
Origin currently only has one operating wind farm in Australia, being a 30MW facility at Cullerin Range, with only one investment for a project in Stockyard Hill.
Mr King has also reportedly withheld this project until the gas facility in Queensland has been completed.
Greenpeace says it is time for Origin to realise that investments in old technology will leave it behind, and to release the stranglehold it has on the renewable power sources for the future.
The full reports can be found here
2 Responses
Its a shame Origin Energy is coming in the way of a lot of progress and efficiency that can be achieved in an eco friendly manner.
Can you provide a link to the report?