Energy

This policy should be read in conjunction with The Greens (WA) Climate Change Policy.

The Greens (WA) are committed to an energy future that produces and utilises energy in the most efficient and environmentally sustainable way. Energy production methods to date have largely relied on the extraction and burning of fossil fuels which has led to the current climate change crisis.

The situation is urgent. We have only the rest of this decade to make meaningful progress in moving to renewable energy sources, electrifying everything, and decarbonising our economy. The longer we wait the more challenging, harmful, and costly it will be.

Aims

The Greens (WA) want:

  • clean, safe, secure, reliable and diverse energy supplies that are produced as efficiently as possible
  • rapid transition to a net zero-pollution economy that is primarily based on renewable sources of energy and efficient energy conversion processes, with specific near and long-term targets
  • Western Australia to transition to 100% renewables by 20301
  • Western Australia to become a source of expertise in the application of low polluting technology through research, engineering and business innovation and investment

Measures

The Greens (WA) will initiate and support the following legislation and actions:

State Energy Plan

  • develop a long term State Energy Plan that includes:
    • includes a transition to zero-carbon energy for transport, industry, agriculture and electricity generation
    • improves the various electricity grids to reduce costs, improve access to renewable energy sources and improve service, e.g. continue replacing the inefficient parts of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) with micro-grids
    • includes transition plans to phase out fossil fuel electricity generation with emissions reduction targets and timetables
    • identifies regulatory barriers to achieving a zero-emissions economy and includes timetables to remove those barriers
    • prepares the SWIS for the potential impact of domestic, service and industrial charging of electric vehicles

Renewable Energy (see also Energy 2030)

  • establish an iterative plan aiming for 100% renewable energy for the Western Australian electricity market by 2030
  • reform electricity market access arrangements to allow maximum possible participation by renewable energy suppliers
  • provide financial incentives for prospective renewable energy supply technologies until they no longer require such assistance
  • establish streamlined processes for planning approvals and electricity network connections for utility-scale renewable energy plants
  • support continued research and development of hydrogen from renewable sources only
  • fund and support research into the best technologies (e.g. pumped hydro, wave energy, batteries) for overcoming periods when solar and wind resources may be insufficient to maintain adequate electricity supplies on the SWIS.
  • support the ongoing development and use of different scale batteries in small or large quantities in a range of areas, both on and off grid

Energy Efficiency

  • support community engagement in emissions reduction actions, including household renewable technology options, energy efficiency measures and energy auditing
  • establish mandatory energy efficiency audits for major energy users, with compulsory implementation of energy management plans to drastically reduce emissions, and where elimination is not possible, have very minimal approved offsetting mechanisms
  • increase minimum requirements for energy efficiency in new buildings and homes at the design stage and provide incentives to exceed these minimum requirements (see The Greens (WA) Housing policy and also the Australian Greens Housing policy)
  • increase incentives and subsidies for substantial retrofits to existing buildings, including commercial buildings, rental properties, apartments and other strata title property, to improve energy efficiency, with explicitly stated and timed targets for overall state-wide efficiency improvements
  • require mandatory energy efficiency disclosure of residential and commercial property prior to sale or lease

Electricity Market Reforms

  • maintain public ownership of the Western Australian electricity transmission and distribution system
  • ensure that owners of renewable energy systems are paid a fair rate for the electricity they export to the grid, recognising the grid service they provide by reducing network spending, fortification and peak demand generation capacity
  • reform electricity market access arrangements to foster increased participation by renewable energy suppliers, including residential suppliers. 
  • in setting access charges for renewable energy systems, financial recognition should be made of their contribution to lowering overall greenhouse gas emissions
  • support longer-term measures to allow trading of electricity by smaller generators and consumers (even down to individual residences) over local electricity networks and micro-grids
  • implement reforms that encourage the establishment of local micro-grids to allow communities, especially those towards the fringe of the existing grid, to generate and use their own electricity

Fossil Fuel Resource Management (see also The Greens (WA) Fossil Fuel Extraction policy)

  • remove or phase out subsidies for the use of greenhouse gas emitting energy sources and end direct and indirect subsidies to fossil fuel energy sources 
  • ban any new coal-fired power stations or coal mines, and any expansion to existing coal fired power stations or mines
  • support a transition plan for the decommissioning of existing coal-fired power stations and coal mines in Collie while supporting the development of programs to assist the Collie community to transition to alternative sources of economic prosperity
  • oppose any new or expanded liquid natural gas (LNG) facilities and work toward the replacement of gas with renewable energy as widely as possible
  • oppose the expansion of existing natural gas production and work toward the replacement of the industry with renewable energy, leading to the near-term retirement of the gas industry
  • require full, open and transparent annual disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions from all components of the production train in all oil and gas facilities without exclusion, as part of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory reporting requirement (under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007), with appropriate penalties for under-reporting
  • force existing fossil fuel producers comply with all licence conditions, established at either a State or Federal level, with respect to carbon pollution mitigation and that appropriate penalties are applied where agreed mitigation measures have failed
  • prohibit the exploration for, or development of, any gas well developments including those that involve hydraulic fracturing2 by whatever means, given the short and long-term risks to our water, land, communities, tourism and agricultural industries, and our climate

(See also the Australian Greens Climate Change and Energy policy)

Glossary & Footnote

1. While 100% renewable energy could easily meet demand most days of the year, it’s acknowledged that on the rare occasion that the grid experiences several consecutive cloudy and windless days, backup may be required until long-duration storage options are in place.

2. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure injection of 'fracking fluid' into the well-bore to create cracks in the deep rock formations through which natural gas and petroleum will flow more freely.

The Greens (WA) Energy policy was ratified in 2024