Thursday, 4 September
The West Australian Greens have expressed outrage that Synergy is considering paying Chinese-owned Yancoal $7 more, or up to 20 per cent, per tonne for its Collie coal.
Business and household electricity tariffs, which have already risen 86 per cent since 2008, will be under even greater pressure to rise if the new deal is finalised.
Greens Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change Robin Chapple MLC said there was no conceivably logical explanation the state government could give to defend this move economically or environmentally.
“Clearly the uptake of renewables across the state is undercutting the price of coal,” he said.
“The price of coal is dropping globally and the quality of Collie coal continues to fall as well; if it doesn’t make sense economically now then why continue to support it?
“We should be switching to renewable energy as quickly as the infrastructure can be built to protect not only the environment, but every West Australian who is feeling the pinch of the outrageous power price hike we’ve already seen under the Barnett government.
“Contracts such as these just perpetuate coal and hinder the transition to 100 per cent renewables ad infinitum.”
Mr Chapple said he continued to be shocked by the lengths the government would go to ignore, and perpetuate, the looming threat of climate change.
“Not only is this government hell-bent on propping up the coal industry long term, but they’re using tax-payers money to do it,” he said.
“When will they admit that Western Australia, with our vast potential for renewable energy uptake, needs to seriously look at the way we produce power and stop making concessions for the coal and gas sector.”
For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.
