Steven Marshall MP
State Liberal Leader
State Liberal Leader Steven Marshall today announced a plan to slash household and business electricity bills by hundreds of dollars per year and prevent blackouts.
The announcement is part of the Marshall Liberal Team’s plan to fix the South Australian economy, provide job certainty and relieve household cost pressures.
The Liberal Energy Solution focuses on:
- More affordable electricity
- More reliable renewable energy, empowering consumers
- Much better value for taxpayers
- Developing stronger connections between South Australia and the National Electricity Market (NEM)
Based on independent expert advice, the average household power bill would be cut by $302 per year once the Liberal Energy Solution is fully implemented.
Two key elements of the Solution are a $200 million interconnection fund to improve connectivity with the National Electricity Market, and a $100 million household battery program.
Consistent with the Finkel Report, providing better interconnection with the NEM will increase network stability and drive down prices.
Empowering South Australians who have invested in rooftop solar, and encouraging more people to install solar panels, will take pressure off the electricity grid and lower household bills.
The Liberal Energy Solution will provide means-tested grants averaging $2,500 to facilitate the installation of batteries in 40,000 homes, putting South Australians in control of how they buy, sell and produce electricity.
“We are going to back South Australians who want to take charge of their electricity generation and consumption,” said Mr Marshall.
“Our battery program will focus on South Australians, not celebrity billionaires.
“Greater interconnection will enable us to export more of our renewable energy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and import reliable baseload energy when we need it.”
The Liberal Energy Solution takes into consideration the contracted commitments the government has already locked us into and then improves on them.
To secure the South Australian electricity grid until key elements of the Liberal Energy Solution are in place, a Marshall Liberal Government would continue to lease emergency back-up generators until 2019.
After that, a reverse auction system will be implemented to ensure additional emergency generation is available and avoid wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on a white elephant government owned power station.
The Liberal Energy Solution will deliver benefits to electricity consumers every day rather than lock up taxpayers’ money in a power station that will rarely be used.
“South Australians have been treated like guinea pigs by Jay Weatherill and the Labor Party for too long,” said Mr Marshall.
“Labor’s electricity experiment has delivered the most expensive and least reliable electricity system in Australia.
“A Marshall Liberal Government will end Labor’s dangerous experiment and deliver cheaper electricity.”
To view the full plan please visit Liberalenergysolution.com.au