Steven Marshall MP
State Liberal Leader
The State Liberals say Jay Weatherill’s plan to use large, expensive diesel generators in South Australia next summer will be paid for by South Australian taxpayers or electricity consumers.
ABC Adelaide (Abraham): In the meantime, your report talks about temporary measures and we understand that you know like truck sized diesel generators correct? That’ll be on standby. (Weatherill): We’ll be asking SA Power Networks to essentially provide for that. (15/03/17)
Last year it cost the Tasmanian Government $11 million a month to operate 100 megawatts of diesel generation when its interconnection to the mainland was down.
Jay Weatherill is planning to install up to 200 megawatts of diesel generation in South Australia.
“Jay Weatherill needs to come clean as to exactly who is going to pay for his plan to locate large diesel generators across the electricity network to reduce the threat of blackouts as a result of South Australia’s over reliance on intermittent renewable energy,” said State Liberal Leader Steven Marshall.
“With the Premier’s $550 million bailout of South Australia’s electricity system already fully allocated he will need to explain how he is going to pay for this expensive form of generation.
“First Jay Weatherill forced individual consumers to buy back-up diesel generators now he’s forcing the entire state to be reliant on back-up diesel generators.
“The fact the Premier has been forced to move to expensive diesel generators to overcome the problems created by South Australia’s over reliance on intermittent energy just illustrates the woeful nature of energy policy under his government.
“Since Jay Weatherill forced the Northern Power Station to close down South Australians have suffered blackouts, price hikes and now tax rises to pay for that foolish decision.
“Having announced $550 million in taxpayers’ money to rectify his mistake of closing down the Northern Power Station Jay Weatherill must now reveal how much it would have cost taxpayers to keep Port Augusta open.
“Having forced the closure of 540 megawatts of cheap, base load power at Port Augusta the Premier is now proposing to spend $360 million on 250 megawatts of standby power, 150 million of battery back-up and more again in back-up diesel power.”