INVEST IN NORTH WEST: KATTER
QUEENSLAND’S love affair with green hydrogen will be nothing but hot air without big investment in electricity generation and network capacity, Traeger MP Robbie Katter says.
The Katter’s Australian Party Leader said if the current political trends eventuated, a massive increase in energy demand from hydrogen production could see electricity prices skyrocket in the same way as gas prices tripled when Queensland’s LNG exports ramped up.
“There is a huge risk this will happen again with hydrogen and we will further squander Queensland’s competitive advantage and tens of thousands of jobs in mining, minerals processing, manufacturing and other energy intensive industries,” Mr Katter said.
He said state and federal governments needed to make good on promises to deliver regulated infrastructure and new generation across the North West to ensure Queensland had enough cheap and reliable electricity to supply local industry first.
“The North West, particularly around Hughenden, Cloncurry and Mount Isa, has the best mix of renewable resources in the country, and we have existing large-scale gas generation to keep it reliable,” Mr Katter said.
“But all of these resources are useless if they are not connected to the national grid which is why the state and federal governments must urgently deliver on their promises to build Copperstring 2.0.”
The Copperstring transmission project will connect North West Queensland to the national electricity grid at Townsville, providing the critical link for more than 2000 megawatts of largescale wind and solar projects across the corridor.
“The state’s preoccupation with hydrogen as the overarching solution to its future energy export objectives is ambitious to say the least,” Mr Katter said.
“If we are all going to agree that hydrogen is crucial to Queensland’s and Australia’s energy and economic future then we need to have less photo opportunities and more serious, practical discussions around how this will be delivered.
“The North West and Townsville have never been more important to Queensland’s economic future. We have the minerals and energy resources the whole world wants but what we lack is the infrastructure.”