Chris Uhlmann slams renewable energy targets, saying ‘great lie' of government energy agendas ‘has to be exposed'
Sky News Political Contributor Chris Uhlmann has called out what he described as the 'great lie' of renewable energy targets, as questions linger over a state government's controversial renewables plan.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio has admitted the full cost of a multibillion-dollar renewable energy plan to be rolled out by the state government is not yet known.
When asked whether the $4.3 billion figure for the plan detailed last month could actually be closer to $20 billion, the Minister remained tight-lipped over the cost and how energy prices could be affected, the Australian Financial Review reported.
'This is not about being dishonest, if that's what you're implying,' Ms D'Ambrosio said on Friday, according to the AFR.
'If we don't build transmission, I can tell you what happens. People's lights go out and power prices will go through the roof.
'People need to understand that transmission is an investment that facilitates the build of replacement electricity.'
Speaking to Sky News host Peta Credlin on Monday evening, Mr Uhlmann took aim at renewable energy agendas in the face of the controversial Victorian government plan.
'We've seen it around the world Peta, everywhere you put in large-scale deployment of wind and solar, two things happen: the grid becomes more fragile and electricity prices soar,' he said.
'I see Lily D'Ambrosio saying that it's not going to be $20 billion, but can't say how much it's going to be, and of course, those transmission lines that she's left out of the equation probably come to around about $16 billion. So what do we know about that? We know that 9 per cent of your electricity bill is the transmission costs.'
Mr Uhlmann then pointed to the federal Labor government's renewables policy, which has also drawn has drawn heavy criticism over significant project costs.
'It's interesting now that the federal Labour Party has stopped saying that people's electricity bills will go down,' he said.
'The great lie in all of this has to be exposed and that is it will be neither greener nor cheaper and the system will certainly be more fragile.
'That's the energy future which is on offer because of the policy decisions of state and federal governments.'
The Victorian government VicGrid body's 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan includes proposed onshore renewable energy zones, which have been identified as suitable to host renewable energy projects.
"The Victorian Transmission Plan is necessary to keep the lights on and keep energy costs affordable as Victoria's coal-fired power stations close," a state government statement on the plan's draft announcement said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
2 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Why Afterpay could be coming to a supermarket checkout near you
James Eyers writes on banking, payments and fintech. He is a former legal and investment banking editor at the AFR, has degrees in commerce and law from UNSW, and is co-author of Buy now, pay later: The extraordinary story of Afterpay
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
Playtime's over: Historic mansion linked to troubled childcare outfit sells for over $5 million
Historic Toorak mansion Cloyne, a place with an illustrious past and controversial near present, has sold for more than $5 million. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom and four-car residence was built in 1926 and designed by renowned architect Harold Desbrowe Annear. It includes a luxurious outdoor pool flanked by colonnades, a porte cochere over the sweeping driveway and a ballroom accessible from the garden. Handy. The Toorak Road mansion also has a cellar, sunroom, sauna, studio and timber-panelled upstairs. Cloyne was built for Louis Nelken, who as social legend has it, parlayed a position as a butler to the royal family into Melebrity status, marrying the daughter of an early Victorian chief justice. Their Melbourne Cup eve parties were frequently attended by the Baillieus, Horderns et al and kept 'The Life of Melbourne' column in The Argus, a CBD forebear, busy over many a year. Jellis Craig Stonnington director Nathan Waterson was coy on the exact sale price but told CBD the home sold to a local family ahead of the planned weekend auction for a price above the $4.75 million to $5.23 million guide price. A great result for a property that has been lying vacant and needs a massive renovation. More recently, the property was the family home of controversial childcare centre boss Darren Misquitta, who bought it for his wife and two children in 2016 before transferring it to his wife, Karina, several years later. Misquitta was in the news recently as a director of Genius Childcare, a nationwide childcare centre chain that operated six centres in Melbourne. In March the chain was taken over by administrators who say Misquitta and the string of 37 companies he controls owe $38 million in debts – including a $94,000 Coles grocery bill. And the Tax Office says one company, formerly known as Genius Learning, owes it more than $10 million. But the home was not sold by Misquitta. It had been repossessed by mortgagee Oak Capital, which is controversial for different reasons. The company told CBD: 'Thank you for your enquiry. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on individual lending arrangements or enforcement matters.'
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Chris Uhlmann slams renewable energy targets, saying ‘great lie' of government energy agendas ‘has to be exposed'
Sky News Political Contributor Chris Uhlmann has called out what he described as the 'great lie' of renewable energy targets, as questions linger over a state government's controversial renewables plan. Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio has admitted the full cost of a multibillion-dollar renewable energy plan to be rolled out by the state government is not yet known. When asked whether the $4.3 billion figure for the plan detailed last month could actually be closer to $20 billion, the Minister remained tight-lipped over the cost and how energy prices could be affected, the Australian Financial Review reported. 'This is not about being dishonest, if that's what you're implying,' Ms D'Ambrosio said on Friday, according to the AFR. 'If we don't build transmission, I can tell you what happens. People's lights go out and power prices will go through the roof. 'People need to understand that transmission is an investment that facilitates the build of replacement electricity.' Speaking to Sky News host Peta Credlin on Monday evening, Mr Uhlmann took aim at renewable energy agendas in the face of the controversial Victorian government plan. 'We've seen it around the world Peta, everywhere you put in large-scale deployment of wind and solar, two things happen: the grid becomes more fragile and electricity prices soar,' he said. 'I see Lily D'Ambrosio saying that it's not going to be $20 billion, but can't say how much it's going to be, and of course, those transmission lines that she's left out of the equation probably come to around about $16 billion. So what do we know about that? We know that 9 per cent of your electricity bill is the transmission costs.' Mr Uhlmann then pointed to the federal Labor government's renewables policy, which has also drawn has drawn heavy criticism over significant project costs. 'It's interesting now that the federal Labour Party has stopped saying that people's electricity bills will go down,' he said. 'The great lie in all of this has to be exposed and that is it will be neither greener nor cheaper and the system will certainly be more fragile. 'That's the energy future which is on offer because of the policy decisions of state and federal governments.' The Victorian government VicGrid body's 2025 Victorian Transmission Plan includes proposed onshore renewable energy zones, which have been identified as suitable to host renewable energy projects. "The Victorian Transmission Plan is necessary to keep the lights on and keep energy costs affordable as Victoria's coal-fired power stations close," a state government statement on the plan's draft announcement said.
