Antinuclear

RENEWABLE energy target critic Senator Jacqui Lambie has been accused of refusing to meet proponents of a West Coast wind farm, with 200 construction jobs hanging in the balance.

Investors were “lined up” for the $150 million project, director Alex Simpson said yesterday.

However, they needed bipartisan certainty at federal level……..

PUP-turned-independent Senator Lambie has been scathing about the RET, describing it as the “mainland RET” and saying it pushes up Tasmanian power prices and threatens jobs despite Tasmanian energy generation being renewable.

Mr Simpson said Westcoast Wind had been seeking a meeting with Senator Lambie since August, but had been told she was “too busy”.

He questioned whether there would be a bigger project she could influence.

The project has the necessary federal, state and council approvals.

Mr Simpson said it could proceed if the target was left alone, but a decision was needed.

“The federal government needs to say ‘This is what we’re going to do,’ then Labor goes tick so there’s bipartisan support.”

Some in the Coalition argue the RET should be scaled back, due to declining power use.

Mr Simpson said an excess of generation would be a good thing, as it would tend to put downward pressure on prices.

He also argued the economic case for wind, saying: “Any power station that has no fuel cost has to be cheaper in the long run.” If a lower RET was introduced, he said, the Granville project would be “very challenging for the industry”.

Comment was being sought from Senator Lambie. http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/2735194/lambie-snubs-project-meeting/