Council to share energy insights

THE Western Downs region will push its case to be considered the energy capital of Queensland at a national summit in Toowoomba next week.

Western Downs Regional Council Deputy Mayor Andrew Smith said the region, with a land area of about 38,000sq km, was “leading the way” with regards to capitalising on resource industries.

“With solar and wind on the way, we’re seeing the diversification of energy right on our doorstep with renewables being able to connect to the electricity grid thanks to the legacy of the CSG power infrastructure,” Cr Smith said.

“We’ve got coal, gas, ethanol, solar and wind.”

The WDRC will join the inaugural National Energy Summit, hosted by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise, which will aim to develop and chart a roadmap for sustainable energy.

The summit will host industry representatives including AGL Energy, Hatch, New Hope Group and Australia Pacific LNG, as well as Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan and State Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply Mark Bailey.

Sen. Canavan said the Federal Government was focused on “keeping the lights on, keeping power prices low and reducing emissions”.

“We are technology neutral,” he said.

“The Toowoomba and Darling Downs region is an energy hub, with a range of projects from coal-fired power stations, to gas and renewables. All of these are important to power our economy and create jobs.”

TSBE executive chairman Shane Charles said the summit would highlight works being done in the region and show how these regions can be an example for the rest of Australia.