Vic power bills and CO2 emissions to soar

Friday, 11 December 2009 09:17

Victorian electricity companies have today released their plan to charge consumers over $5 billion on a polluting spending spree in the next 5 years, ignoring major energy savings that could reduce bills and greenhouse emissions, Total Environment Centre (TEC) said today.

“Victorian electricity companies have learned nothing from the disastrous blackouts that occurred earlier this year,” said Jane Castle, Senior Campaigner at TEC. “The best way to deal with surging demand on hot days is to harness the quick, cost-effective energy savings that are on offer. Regulators must send the businesses back to the drawing board.”

$5.4 billion is proposed to be spent on capital investment by the five Victorian electricity distribution companies, Jemena, SP AusNet, Citipower, Powercor and United Energy. The companies, however, only propose to spend $21 million on energy saving measures, despite them being 4 times more cost-effective than building more ‘poles and wires’. This is a mere 0.4% of total spending on hardware.

“It’s ironic that as Copenhagen gets underway, the Victorian networks are planning for more pollution, more carbon costs and global warming risks for Victorian families,” said Ms Castle.

The Victorian proposals put total network spending in NSW, Victoria, QLD, SA, ACT and Tasmania at over $40 billion for the next 5 years. The capacity of the National Electricity Market regulators to obtain energy savings will be tested once again.

“It’s time for energy ministers and regulators to wake up to this expensive, irresponsible addiction to infrastructure. More steel in the ground means hotter, more dangerous summers for Victorians. A complete overhaul of the energy market is long overdue.”

The Australian Energy Regulator is hosting a public forum on these proposals in Melbourne on 17 December 2009:

http://www.aer.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/732540