Community opinion front of mind for renewables sector

Community acceptance is the biggest risk and most significant opportunity for Queensland's clean energy transition, according to a survey of industry insiders. The Queensland Renewable Energy Council (QREC) commissioned the industry survey, which also shows QREC members are seeking more policy certainty and bi-partisanship as the October 26 State election looms. QREC chief executive officer Katie-Anne Mulder said 83 per cent of respondents to the industry survey believed the clean energy transition in Queensland was on the right track. Meanwhile they ranked the need for community acceptance and support ahead of issues including assessment processes, transmission availability and capacity, policy stability and supply chain requirements. Respondents indicated that risk and opportunity for the industry are driven by the same key themes. “Working cooperatively and collaboratively with the community is the key to the clean energy transition and maximising the benefits of large-scale renewable and transmission infrastructure,” Ms Mulder said. “Strengthening partnerships and building an enduring social licence is a priority for our members and for QREC as the State’s dedicated renewable energy representative body.” The survey drew 18 responses, more than half being from renewable energy developers and operators while the others were from stakeholders including government-owned corporations, consultants, major customers and investors. The QREC said its analysis and commentary had been tailored to draw out the valuable insights from the responses provided while acknowledging the limitations of this sample size. Ms Mulder said the survey responses noted government initiatives to enshrine the two-year-old Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. This, along with the emission reduction legislation passed this year, provided more clarity on future targets, plans and roadmaps which had led to significant momentum for the renewable energy sector in Queensland, she said. “The overwhelming message from those surveyed was the clean energy transition is on track and it was important to maintain this momentum,” Ms Mulder said. “The QREC Executive Insights Survey is the first in an ongoing series which will be used to track sentiment within the industry over time, both at the whole of transition level and on specific issues. “For example, the survey shows the understanding of how the REZ framework will support project delivery and create investment certainty is still developing.” Click here to view QREC’s Executive Insights Survey Results You may also like: https://industryqld.com.au/concerns-renewables-will-sterilise-exploration-ground/

Community opinion front of mind for renewables sector

Industry Queensland

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