COAL BEST HOPE FOR QUICK FIX LNP touts base- load power plans

Switchgear, which produces and supplies low and medium voltage switchgear, said he saw manufacturing as a potential future industry in the city.

“Manufacturing and in particular advancement in manufacturing … perhaps that should be looked at in Townsville,” he said.

“You’re already talking about attracting a battery factory here and combining that with advanced manufacturing … ( Townsville) could become a manufacturing hub.”

Solar panels were suggested as a possible product to make with several solar farms planned for North Queensland.

It comes after a proposal for a Lithium- ion Battery Gigafactory was announced for Townsville. The consortium behind the planned factory, led by Boston Energy and In- novation, have signed an agreement to investigate the feasibility of basing the factory in Townsville.

Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the city was well placed to produce solar panels and a new manufacturing industry could help diversify the region’s economy.

“We’ve learnt through the mining boom to not put a lot of eggs in one basket,” he said. CRIPPLING electricity prices across North Queensland could be lowered “tomorrow” if the Labor Government supported a coal- fired base- load power station, says Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls.

The State Government announced on Saturday that Stanwell Corporation’s mothballed 385MW Swanbank E gas- fired power station near Ipswich ( pictured) would be brought back to life.

Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the plant would be restarted next year in response to “failures in the National Energy Market and associated higher electricity prices by bringing an additional 385MW capacity into the market”.

But Mr Nicholls said reopening a power station about 1400km away from Townsville would do nothing to bring North Queenslanders’ power bills down “or to create the jobs and business opportunities Townsville desperately needs”.

“Labor could lower wholesale electricity prices tomorrow by supporting the LNP’s policy to support a coalfired base- load power station in North Queensland,” he said.

Mr Nicholls said Labor had loaded Queensland energy companies up with govern-

“We could diversify the economy with a whole range of manufacturing options.

“This makes a whole lot of sense looking at the energy approach being taken.

“To make that happen we have to make sure we get power and water sorted and we are certainly doing that with the power.”

Townsville Chamber of Commerce president Troy ment debt and raided profits. “The LNP and the Federal Coalition support a private sector, base- load power station in North Queensland,” he said.

Mr Nicholls said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s plan to invest $ 386 million on a 500km transmission line in the North was “nothing more than another feasibility study”.

“Another study won’t reduce electricity prices which are set to increase by over 7 per cent this year, driven up by higher wholesale electricity prices,” he said. “A study ... by Townsville Enterprise shows a coal- fired power station in North Queensland would put strong downward pressure on electricity prices.

“Coal from the Galilee Basin could be used to fuel the power station, and support both the development of the basin and provide cheaper electricity for North Queensland householders.”

A spokesman for Energy Popham said that while he would support a solar panel manufacturing industry, Townsville needed water security and affordable power.

He said governments should also offer economic incentives to further entice manufacturing investment.

“As a region we welcome any business investment in a manufacturing space and we’re fortunate to have a land Minister M Mark k B Baileyil said re restarting Swanbank E would address market price volatility.

“We have made the decision to make Swanbank E’s capacity available to the market this summer to reduce potential for the price volatility seen this year – which clearly is in the interests of all Queensland consumers including in the north of the state,” he said.

“The emissions from Swanbank E would be about 50 per cent lower than those from an equivalent coal- fired power station.”

When asked whether the proposed transmission line would reduce local energy prices, the spokesman said the infrastructure was “aimed at helping to offset the costs of transmission connection”.

“Bringing additional renewable energy projects online will increase supply and put downward pressure on wholesale prices,” he said.

Editorial: page 14 bank and weather patterns that suit manufacturing,” Mr Popham said.

“Manufacturers are high power and water users so that would be an area that needs to be prioritised to be fixed.

“With lower electricity prices, access to water, a land bank and the livability we have there is no reason why they wouldn’t want to invest here.”