The South Australian Government has released the Renewable Energy Plan for South Australia, providing an agenda for future growth of the state’s renewable energy sector.

 

The plan is to be complemented by a new policy and planning framework that will ban the development of any future coal fired power stations while unlocking more investment for the renewable energy sector.

 

The plan outlines $1.8 billion in investment in wind farms, with councils being given responsibility for assessing planning applications for wind farms.

 

The state’s councils will also be able to refer any problems to the State Department of Assessment Commission.

 

The plan is built on five key strategies for supporting future investment in the renewable energy sector, including:

  • Providing quality information to the industry
  • Having the most efficient and certain regulatory environment
  • Selectively intervening to address market failures
  • Government leadership by example
  • Positioning South Australia to take advantage of national policy settings, including the Commonwealth’s proposed Clean Energy Future Package

 

Some of the key initiatives within the Plan include:

  • Draft legislation to provide renewable energy investors with access to the 40 per cent of South Australia’s land mass that is Crown Land subject to pastoral lease;
  • Calling for expressions of interest in the design and implementation of a concept model for a community-owned solar project (See news);
  • Beginning consultations on setting a specified limit on carbon emissions for new electricity generation, which will effectively prevent investment in new coal-fired electricity generation;
  • Providing $345,000 for the demonstration of concentrating solar power technology for heat and electricity at a horticultural greenhouse in Port Augusta.

 

The full report can be found here