Senate debates
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Motions
Renewable Energy Certificates
12:07 pm
John Madigan (Victoria, Democratic Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source
Since 2009, Acciona's Waubra wind farm in Victoria has been operating as a Clean Energy Regulator accredited energy supplier, allowing it to receive tens of millions of dollars in renewable energy certificates. But to be accredited you must prove that you are compliant and to be compliant you must supply a certificate of compliance from the relevant state authority. In Victoria, that authority is the Department of Planning and Community Development. That department has advised my office that the Waubra wind farm has not been signed off by the minister on any noise compliance, despite operating for 3½ years. As Acciona has no certificate of compliance it cannot be compliant, cannot qualify for accreditation by the CER and cannot qualify to receive tens of millions of dollars of RECs that it has received to date.
If this is the standard of the accreditation process where energy providers can gain access to billions of dollars of RECs without having to prove compliance then nothing short of a review of the entire accreditation process and investigation into the ease with which these RECs are distributed will satisfy the Australian public.
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