‘We’re the ones the world is turning to’: State’s Energy Minister says WA is bearing emissions burden

WA is shouldering the burden of higher emissions in order to deliver the gas and critical minerals the rest of the world needs to decarbonise, according to the State’s Climate and Energy Minister. Reece Whitby will tell a room of energy professionals in a speech on Thursday morning there is not a “big plastic bubble” around WA and remind them that the State does have a duty to the rest of the world in attempting to tackle climate change. But Mr Whitby will also point out that the State is in turn providing the rest of the world with the resources it needs to build infrastructure for renewables, critical minerals to make batteries and gas to power homes. “Whether we like it or not, we’re the ones the world is turning to to build the global energy transition,” he will say. “Whatever WA can do to help the world decarbonise above and beyond our share of emissions, is something we just must do. If that means putting extra pressure on our emissions as a State, it’s our burden to shoulder for a greater reduction in global emissions. “Mining our iron ore, our lithium, all our critical minerals – and yes, our gas – help other economies decarbonise.” He will reference the prospect of a green steel industry, a hydrogen industry and carbon capture as ways WA can eventually reduce its carbon output. WA’s prosperous mining industry is also a big greenhouse gas emitter, and has been accused at times of holding back Australia’s decarbonisation efforts. Mr Whitby’s comments come with a State Election looming in 2025 and also with the WA Government yet to lock in the formal details of its long-term target of net zero emissions by 2050. The Minister is also set to acknowledge “the beginning of the end” of fossil fuels’ dominance in the energy mix. “Being an energy powerhouse you’d think that spells trouble for WA. No. It spells opportunity. Opportunity that’s already being embraced. He will reference APA’s massive new 120,000 panel solar farm in Port Hedland that is expected to power a sizeable amount of BHP’s port operations, as well as a massive uptake of solar panels on WA homes, as examples of progress on this front. The South West Interconnected System, WA’s main electricity network, recently broke a new record of running on 85 per cent renewables, according to the Minister. “More than 70 per cent of that came from household rooftop solar,” Mr Whitby will note. Australia’s embrace of solar panels on homes has been lauded as a win from an emissions and costs perspective. But the Australian Energy Market Operator this week reemphasised a warning it has made in recent years, that too much solar power at one time risks overloading the system. So much so that the regulator called for an emergency backstop “to allow rooftop PV systems to be curtailed or turned off briefly if necessary in rare emergency conditions.” AEMO’s executive general manager operations, Michael Gatt assured the regulator “does not want to directly control people’s rooftop solar.”