The State Government will purchase 20 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2010 under a plan announced by Premier Alan Carpenter this morning.
The State Government will purchase 20 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2010 under a plan announced by Premier Alan Carpenter this morning.
However Opposition environment spokesman Steve Thomas labelled the plan a farce, saying the plan would only equate to an one per cent increase in the use of clean energy, and that the government had no long range plan.
"Climate change is a very real issue affecting the entire planet," Mr Carpenter said.
"Buying more renewable energy is one tangible way that we can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
The premier said the 20 per cent target in 2010 would bring a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 90,000 tonnes per year - the equivalent of taking 21,000 cars off the road.
But Dr Thomas said the plan was nothing more than smoke and mirrors, with the changes bringing WA's renewable energy usage up to only six per cent.
"The Liberal Party has committed to a 20 per cent renewable energy target by 2020, supporting legislation in the Parliament last year to achieve that goal, which has been ignored by the Government," he said.
"Alan Carpenter has committed today to six per cent by 2010, and I can't find any committment after that."
The Premier's full announcement is pasted below
Premier Alan Carpenter has today announced a major initiative in the State Government's campaign to tackle climate change.
Opening the World Renewable Energy Network 2007 International Conference in Perth today, the Premier announced the State Government would purchase 20 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2010.
Mr Carpenter also challenged the Howard Government, industry and Western Australian local governments to follow the State Government's lead in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The commitment forms part of the Carpenter Government's forthcoming Climate Change Action Plan.
"Climate change is a very real issue affecting the entire planet," Mr Carpenter said.
"We need to start implementing measures sooner rather than later, particularly as achieving longer-term targets critically depends on early actions.
"We need to act locally and see what we can achieve globally.
"Buying more renewable energy is one tangible way that we can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
The Premier said the 20 per cent target in 2010 would see a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of about 90,000 tonnes per year - the equivalent of taking 21,000 cars off the road.
He said that the renewable energy would come from new renewable energy projects in WA.
A 35 MegaWatt wind farm was an example of what would be required to help reach the Government's purchasing target by 2010.
Mr Carpenter said the purchasing target would also help the State Government surpass its 2005 election commitment to increase the percentage of renewable energy available on the South-West Interconnected System, the State's main electricity grid.
"As part of our Renewable Energy policy, we have set a renewable energy target of six per cent on the SWIS by 2010," he said.
"When we announced our policy at the beginning of 2005, renewable energy accounted for approximately 1.5 per cent of the electricity generation on the SWIS.
"That figure has since risen to well over five per cent."
The Premier also released a major report handed to the State Government on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The report of the Greenhouse and Energy Taskforce makes 14 recommendations on practical and economically feasible ways to manage greenhouse gas emissions from the stationary energy sector," Mr Carpenter said.
"We will take these recommendations into account in our forthcoming Climate Change Action Plan."
Environment and Climate Change Minister Tony McRae and Energy Minister Francis Logan will lead consultations with key stakeholders before the State Government forms its overall response to the report.
"This will allow us to continue to build on the comprehensive Greenhouse Strategy that the Government released in 2004 and Labor's Plan for Renewable Energy released in 2005," the Premier said.
Mr Carpenter thanked the taskforce, which was chaired by former Environmental Protection Authority deputy chair, Dr Roy Green and included Dr John Zillman, Ms Cathy Zoi, Mr John Akehurst, and Mr Richard Begley.
The report is available on the Department of Environment and Conservation website, or the DEC's Perth office.