Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator had stated in 2016 that 6,400 MW of large-scale renewable capacity would need to be built between 2017 and 2019 in order to generate enough electricity to meet the country’s renewable energy target of 33,000 gigawatt hours of additional renewable energy by 2020. Today (4 September) the Clean Energy Regulator Chair David Parker has announced that the Clean Energy Regulator has approved enough capacity to guarantee that this target will be met.

On 30 August the approval of the 148.5 MW Cattle Hill Wind Farm, owned by Goldwind and partners, was the project that pushed Australia’s renewable energy production past the target. This target has been met despite the country’s continued reliance on the coal industry as well as significant climate policy uncertainty, which has led to higher energy prices and unreliable supply in recent years. By reaching this target, the government scheme which has provided subsidies to wind, solar and hydro power projects will come to an end. This comes at a time in which wind and solar energy have gone from the most expensive form of power to the least expensive form, while the clean energy industry has seen AUD $24bn in renewable energy investment in the past 18 months.

Share Story: