“Marinus Budget announcement is a renouncement of funds for fast tracking and planning but there is still no answer to the fundamental question: who will pay the $3.5billion?” said Christine Milne, Bob Brown Foundation Director.
“Instead of pushing out decision making dates to 2024, Ministers Taylor and Barnett need to come clean on why they think there is a business case and where the $3.5b is coming from,” Christine Milne said.
“No one will take these repeated announcements seriously until a detailed funding model is presented and frankly that is never going to happen. None of the other states are interested in paying as this project is unnecessary. Battery technology has already leapfrogged Battery of the Nation,” Christine Milne said.
“Stakeholders know that by 2030, more cost effective alternatives will serve the NEM and no one is interested in subsidising an extension cord across Bass Strait for the benefit of multinational corporations owned offshore,” Christine Milne said.
Last month Bob Brown Foundation released a report ‘Project Marinus and Battery of the Nation: Wrong Way Go Back’, is written by leading energy experts Professor Bruce Mountain and Steven Percy of the Victorian Energy Policy Centre. The report proved Project Marinus and Battery of the Nation are not necessary to transition to 100% renewable energy on the mainland because batteries can balance the system and a are much cheaper alternative to Tas Hydro storage. They are not economically viable because transporting energy across Bass Strait makes it more expensive than alternatives. There is no need for mainland consumers to have to pay for them.
Tasmanians on the other hand will pay higher prices because we will be linked into Victorian prices and these projects will not bring down emissions relative to mainland based batteries.
Copy of report here https://www.bobbrown.org.au/gnews_180920