LABOR will today unveil a bold plan to set Victoria’s Renewable Energy Target (VRET) at 50 per cent by 2030.
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The plan, which hinges on the government being re-elected to office on November 24, aims to build on legislation that sees 25 per cent of all electricity generation coming from renewable sources by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.
The target looms as a boon for western district jobs and signify’s another vote of confidence in plans for a $11 million training institute to be based out of Ballarat’s Federation University.
Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said it was expected these targets will help deliver around $9 billion of investment and create more than 11,000 jobs over the life of the scheme.
“Victoria's Renewable Energy Target has helped create a jobs boom and boosting it further will see even more jobs created across our state,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
"Labor will deliver our ambitious renewable energy targets, creating new jobs and investment for the future, and driving down power prices for Victorian families and businesses."
The Grampians region has emerged as Victoria’s engine room of renewable energy generation and associated economic growth with almost $3 billion-worth of wind farm developments under construction.
Windfarm construction is already underway at Lal Lal, Moorabool and Stockyard Hill with all to be completed by the end of 2019.
The biggest windfarm in the Southern Hemisphere – which is planned for Rokewood – continues to go through the planning stages.
The plans show 228 turbines to generate 3500 gigawatt-hours of energy a year – equal to the average annual energy consumption of at least 450,000 homes.
However, the opposition has already come out against its construction.
Polwarth state Liberal MP Richard Riordan said in May the project was an ideologically driven folly that would scar the landscape and create intermittent energy supply.
“If this ideological government gets its way it’ll cover my entire electorate in Rialto-sized concrete pylons that would work 20 to 30 per cent of the time,” Mr Riordan said.
Ms D’Ambrosio said the VRET will put more energy into the grid, delivering up to 5400MW of new, large scale renewable energy capacity by 2025.
Federation University executive director of TAFE Barry Wright said the university’s planned for an international training hub to be based in Ballarat.
“We want to become the accredited provider in that space. Due of our geographical location it really suits us because we have strong renewable energy around wind in our region,” he said.
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