29 March, 2024
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TWO YEARS ON AND MATT KEAN’S ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ROADMAP HAS LITTLE TO SHOW

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Two years ago today, NSW Parliament passed Energy Minister Matt Kean’s Electricity Infrastructure Investment Bill, but 730 days later not a single project is shovel ready. 

The Bill, described by Mr Kean at the time as “historic”,  would “deliver major benefits to the State, such as jobs in the bush and clean, affordable and reliable electricity for the people of New South Wales.”
 
NSW Labor gave bipartisan support to the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, after moving an amendment to ensure that the Hunter, Central Coast and Illawarra received their fair share of investment.

But two years later, the government’s “plan to make New South Wales an energy and economic superpower” has little to show for itself.
 
The Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which is meant to provide 3GW to the grid does not have a single shovel ready project. The Hunter-Central Coast REZ and Illawarra REZ have not even been declared. A Scheme Financial Vehicle was not established until September this year. 
 
Minister Kean promised the roadmap would create “6,300 construction jobs and 2,800 ongoing jobs.” In the last round of Budget Estimates the government conceded it did not know how many jobs had been created to date.
 
Minister Kean promised that the “typical customer’s electricity bills are expected to be lower too, with residential customers expected to save an average of around $130 each year and small businesses around $430 each year.” Since then, the average wholesale electricity spot price has more than quadrupled from $72/MWh to $300/MWh. Electricity bills are expected to jump up to an additional 56 per cent in the next two years.
 
Minister Kean has presented himself as the man with the plan. The plan is not delivering.
 
Jihad Dib, Shadow Minister for Energy & Climate Change, said:

“Every household energy bill in NSW is a reminder of another broken promise by Matt Kean.”
 
“This broken promise shatters Matt Kean’s credibility as the man with the plan. If he’s got a plan to lower bills, it’s not working.”
 
“After 12 years, its become painfully obvious; this Government is big on announcements but small on delivery.”

JIHAD DIB MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

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