Giles Parkinson, RenewEconomy:
It is another excuse for delay, delay, and yet more delay — even though the science tells us, quite clearly, and more emphatically given the summer in the northern hemisphere and tumbling heat records — that what matters most is how quickly we act now.
Littleproud is completely unfazed by the science. In fact, it is a stunning rejection of the science. He wants a “pause” to the roll out of wind and solar and transmission links and a stop to the “reckless pursuit” of the government’s 82 per cent renewables targets.
Littleproud then goes on to mention the prospect of nuclear SMRs (small nuclear reactors), and even something called “micro reactors”, which are little more than an idea, and probably even further down the pipeline than the SMRs which are at least a decade away, and not likely to be cheap.
That Nationals leader reckons big industry users like smelters might like the idea of micro reactors because they are modular and about 3–5 MW and can power their facilities, and can bring down costs. A smelter, by the way, draws up to about 500 MW of load, so it will need around 100 of these things that don't exist.
The smelters, for the record, have made their views clear. Rio Tinto, for instance, has said that its smelters only have a future if they can convert their power supply to renewables by the end of the decade.
If not, they will not be able to compete with the rest of the world, either on cost, or on emissions. And who is providing the biggest stumbling block to renewables? The Nationals and fossil fuel industry led campaign against wind, solar and transmission.
Like Dutton: in no rush.
