Energy Minster Amber-Jade Sanderson slams shadow minister Steve Thomas over Pilbara energy transition comments

The State Government has hit back at the Opposition over comments on the future energy needs of the Pilbara. Energy and Decarbonisation Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson fired back at shadow minister Steve Thomas after he called the search for power producers to supply the Pilbara’s energy needs after 2030 premature. “Once again, the Opposition has it wrong on energy, conflating our Pilbara Energy Transition Plan with Horizon Power’s expression of interest for power supply from 2030,” Ms Sanderson said on Thursday, November 6. “This is an appropriate way to test the market, evaluate all proposals and ensure broad participation, including from traditional owners, and it provides greater flexibility to Horizon Power’s generation procurement in the Pilbara.” Dr Thomas had asserted it was premature to open expressions of interest before outlining all the details of the Pilbara Energy Transition Plan and the $3 billion federal Rewiring the Nation funding available for the North West. “The minister has called for expressions of interest to power the North West Interconnected System without an adequate and comprehensive plan being in place,” he said. “This ad-hoc management is especially galling when the Federal Government has already committed $3 billion to the North West under the Rewiring the Nation fund but the State Labor Government and Minister Sanderson can’t tell us where that money will go.” However, Ms Sanderson said under the PET plan it would be the private sector that would fund priority transmission projects with concessional finance support from the Rewiring the Nation fund. “These priority projects are negotiating directly with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to access the funding,” she said. Ms Sanderson said the EOI announcement was a critical step in securing the Pilbara’s future energy needs. “The Pilbara has long been the engine room of our State’s economy, and today’s announcement is a critical step to securing the ongoing prosperity and future energy needs of the region,” she said. “The Cook Government’s vision is for a Pilbara energy system that is reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable, aligned to our Pilbara Energy Transition Plan — which is transforming the region into a renewable powerhouse. “Unlike the Opposition, the Cook Government has clear plans to deliver secure, reliable, affordable energy for WA.” The EOI is open until the end of February.