20 December 2017
Acting on climate change is the best way to secure NSW electricity supply
The Berejiklian government must urgently develop a climate-change action plan to help reduce extreme weather events that the Chief Scientist’s Energy Security Taskforce has warned pose the greatest risk to the state’s electricity supply.
The Taskforce final report, released yesterday, has identified risks and emerging issues the government needs to address, including heatwaves, floods, storms and bushfires that damage generation and transmission infrastructure. [1]
The report found:
Risks from extreme weather are likely to continue to increase and test the resilience of the system. This includes risks from heatwaves that are projected to increase in frequency, duration and intensity, as well as drought, intensifying rain and an increasing number of fire danger days.
[Blackouts in NSW were most likely] … with prolonged periods of extreme heat when high demand is driven by air conditioning and when the heat poses extra operational challenges for generation and transmission infrastructure.
“The Energy Security Taskforce makes it clear that extreme weather events that are more intense and frequent because of climate change are the main risk to the security of our electricity system,” Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said.
“The Chief Scientist’s report is a reminder the NSW Government has no climate change plan, which in the current context is an indefensible failure.”
The Taskforce said the NSW Government should support innovation by removing regulatory barriers to the deployment of new technologies and leveraging the research strengths in NSW universities and other research institutions.
“The Berejiklian government is sitting on its hands when it should be driving NSW towards a clean energy future,” Ms Smolski said.
“The government needs to set enforceable targets to source all NSW’s electricity from renewables by 2030, to develop plans to phase out coal-fired power stations, and create incentives to for investors to back batteries and pumped hydro.”
[1] http://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/latest-news/nsw-energy-security-taskforce-releases-final-report
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Climate and energy
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