A new report has acknowledged the Palaszczuk Government’s energy policy leadership again, this time in the emerging arena of bioenergy.
The latest independent endorsement of Queensland’s energy policy credentials from Bioenergy Australia’s Bioenergy state of the nation report.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the report highlighted the work her government had done to develop this new industry.
"Since we first engaged with the US Navy in 2015 on the Great Green Fleet initiative, developing a homegrown biofuels industry has been a priority for my Government," the Premier said.
"It is an industry that offers new market opportunities for our agriculture sector, and new technologies to dispose of waste while creating energy.
Most importantly, it provides the chance to build a host of new industries built around high-skilled, long-term jobs right across regional Queensland."
Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham today welcomed And the Clean Energy Council’s latest solar rooftop statistics released this week show Queenslanders lead the nation, with four of Australia’s top five solar postcodes in the Sunshine State.
"These are two significant endorsements in as many days, proving that Queensland is leading the way when it comes to energy policy," Dr Lynham said.
"We have the lowest electricity prices, reliable supply and a planned, steady transition to a renewable future of 50 per cent renewables by 2030."
Acting State Development Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the government’s $20 million Queensland Biofutures Roadmap and Action Plan was guiding the development of a potential $1.1 billion sustainable biotechnology and bioproducts sector by 2026 to secure significant international investment and create regional, high-value and knowledge-intensive jobs.
Queensland’s bio-based petrol mandate also requires 4 per cent of the total volume of the state’s regular unleaded petrol and ethanol-blended fuel sales by liable fuel retailers to be biobased petrol (ethanol).
"Today’s endorsement by Bioenergy Australia is testament to the foresight of the Premier in identifying biofutures as a priority and actively pursuing investment opportunities for this industry, which is estimated to offer a $3.5 billion to $5 billion investment opportunity nationally," Mr Hinchliffe said.
"Through strong policies and best-practice approaches, Queensland is clearly leading other states and territories in identifying ways to accelerate this sector and reaping the rewards of this proactivity."
Today’s Bioenergy state of the nation report rates Australia’s states and territories on the policies they have in place to develop a bioenergy sector that is economically and environmentally sustainable, and maintains its social licence to operate.
It rates Queensland first, followed by South Australia and Victoria and says:
"What differentiates these jurisdictions is their policy objectives are better defined and more aligned to the bioenergy sector compared to other states and territories, and there is evidence of advocacy of the benefits and opportunities from bioenergy."
The report’s criteria, developed by KPMG, includes policy and project development, technology and feedstock diversity and advocacy.
It notes that Queensland has 49 of Australia’s 179 bioenergy projects, second only to New South Wales with 53.
The Premier is also the inaugural recipient of the Bioenergy Government Leadership Award, presented by Bioenergy Australia in October, in recognition of the Queensland Government’s development of the bioeconomic sector.
BACKGROUND
Bioenergy is produced from a range of biomass sources, including agricultural products like bagasse, local council waste and landfill gas. It is used for electricity, heating, for transport fuel and chemicals for use in polyester fibres for clothing, detergent and other products.
