Capacity Investment Scheme announcement proves the current plan is underpowered and more is needed

The Shadow Minister for Energy Dr Steve Thomas says the release of the Capacity Investment Fund tenders 5 and 6 demonstrates that the energy transition plan to date is incomplete and underfunded.

“The announcement today of federal funding for more generation and more storage must come as a great relief to a State Government that has been unable to deliver a fully funded plan for the energy transition so far” Dr Thomas said.  “

“Of course it highlights the long expressed Government lie that the transition was already fully planned and funded.  

“The first problem is that the next round of federal subsidies will be available without the state plan for energy transition in place to tell bidders where generation and storage is needed and how much is required.

“Asking companies to put in proposals before the state’s plan in delivered is a recipe for massive waste and mismanagement.

“It is commonly said that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

“The state’s Whole of System Plan should have been in place three years ago so that the current tender proposals could link in.

“This delay in planning means that it is already too late to get enough generation into the system to maintain grid security.

“Given the average time for the completion of major generation projects, the state’s energy system will not be ready for the current timetable of coal power station closures.

Tender 5 is seeking an indicative target of 1600 MW of renewable energy generation across the WEM.

Tender 6 is seeking an indicative target of 2400 MWh of dispatchable capacity in the WEM, which in normal speak means battery storage.

“While the Federal Government is happy to throw money around, it must surely be worried about the lack of a state plan” Dr Thomas said.