MELBOURNE, 30 April 2021 – In response to Angus Taylor’s announcement that the Federal Government wants coal power stations to be paid for their capacity rather than their output, Greenpeace Australia pacific spokesperson Nelli Stevenson said that this is “fossil fuel ideology gone mad”.“Paying the drivers of the climate crisis to keep cranking out emissions because their operations do not stack up economically is bonkers, it doesn’t take an economist to see this is pouring good money after bad.
“Australia needs to reach 100% renewable energy before 2030 and net zero emissions by 2035 in order to protect Australians from the worst impacts of climate change. Angus Taylor’s plan to prop up coal and gas power stations for as long as possible is the complete opposite of that.
“The very reason this is happening is that as well as being Australia’s top contributor to climate change, Australia’s old and polluting fleet of coal power stations are expensive and unreliable.
“Renewable energy is the cheapest form of new energy. Angus Taylor needs to put his ideology aside and start actually doing his job as Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction and get Australia on a path to being powered by clean and safe renewables.
For more information please contact Head of Communications Nelli Stevenson on 0481 303 815 or email [email protected]