Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With abundant solar resources in the north and wind in the south, Mallee is well placed to be a national leader in renewable energy generation. I've been campaigning for a recognition of our potential, and I'm very pleased to report that the Morrison-McCormack government is making further commitments to this emerging industry in Mallee through a $15 million investment in an innovative solar-hydro power plant near Mildura. RayGen is building a fully dispatchable solar-hydro facility at Carwarp to generate affordable and reliable renewable energy. RayGen will meet the government's investment with an additional $27 million in private funds. The project will create 70 jobs in the construction phase and 45 ongoing positions. This is wonderful news for Mallee. RayGen will use its innovative, first-of-a-kind concentrated-solar PV technology and combine it with electrothermal storage technology to generate renewable energy on demand in the National Electricity Market. The facility will offer up to 17 hours of energy storage. Renewables are great when the sun shines and the wind blows, but deploying or storing the energy produced is a key challenge. That's why this project is so important. It's an innovative approach to the issue of storing excess power that would otherwise go to waste.

Ensuring our solar assets are backed up by dispatchable generation is vital for the energy grid's stability and for shoring up our long-term supply so that Australians have access to the reliable and affordable power they need. This same technology has six years of successful operation in another RayGen facility, in Newbridge, which is also in Mallee. Projects like this will improve the viability of solar farms across the country, and it's fantastic that Mallee is leading the way.

This investment displays that the federal government is backing technology, not taxes, to meet our emissions reduction targets without compromising energy affordability or security. And while we are investing in innovative technologies to better store renewable energy, we're also committing to vital projects that will allow for expanded transmission and stability throughout the grid. These projects include the western Victorian transmission project; the VNI west interconnector at Kerang, which will improve connection between Victoria and New South Wales; and the EnergyConnect interconnector between Robertstown and Wagga Wagga, which will include our spur into Red Cliffs in Mallee. Not only will these projects create a more stable network to deliver the power generated by renewables, they will provide certainty and security to private sector investors, particularly for those looking to invest in Mallee. I've spoken on several occasions about the importance of transmission projects to Mallee, and I am pleased that they are progressing so well.

I've been working closely with industry and with research and development organisations to assess options for the future of renewable energy in Mallee. I've spoken also about my desire to see Mallee become a hub for hydrogen energy and biofuels, and there's been significant progress made in this space. The Loddon Mallee branch of Regional Development Australia have completed their hydrogen road map, which plots a course of opportunities for investment and growth in our region for the emerging hydrogen industry. In addition, the Mallee Regional Innovation Centre has received funding to take part in a nationwide hydrogen cluster through National Energy Resources Australia, or NERA. This cluster will advance research on new hydrogen technologies to help develop this emerging industry. This places Mallee in a position to be a leader in hydrogen development, giving the prospect of linking our solar generation with the creation of clean hydrogen.

I've also recently met with a young farmer, Thomas Blair, who is pioneering a renewable energy project which aims to produce green hydrogen using solar energy to power his farm all year round. This project could be a model to help farmers reduce carbon emissions, save on energy costs and contribute to the nation's transition to renewable energy technologies. Hydrogen is exciting because it has the potential to grow into a vital export industry for Australia to replace coal. That's why we are seeing big corporates like Fortescue Metals, Toyota and Hyundai investing heavily in hydrogen, and I'm focused on attracting this momentum to Mallee. There are several exciting opportunities to be had in Mallee. (Time expired)