Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, , 5:11:48 to 5:16:57
Officials explain the criteria for 'anticipated projects' in the ISP and the consultation process between draft and final plan releases.
Topics: Renewable energy, Energy prices
Speakers: Nadia Rosenman, Hon Tim Ayres, Malcolm Roberts, Unknown Speaker, Varun Ghosh, Ms. Nadia Rosenman
>> Senator if I could perhaps ask answer some of the questions on the New England res. My name is Nadia Rosenman. I'm branch head of electricity networks branch. So you've um quoted from the draft ISP which was released in December 2025 and we've had a final since then released in June 26 and as you say the New England RES is now an anticipated project under the 2026 ISP. Um the way the ant the kind of categorization of process of projects works is that AMO has a set of criteria that they apply to the projects. So to be a committed project you need to meet five criteria that's site acquisition, components ordered, planning approvals, finance completion and construction timing is set. And then to be an anticipated project, which is what um the New England Res is in the final ISP, you need to be in the process of meeting at least three of those five criteria. Now >> three of the five. Yep. And I apologize, I don't have the appendices with me, so I can't tell you which of the three, which of the five the New England Res has, but looking at the footnote, it looks as if between draft and final um the New England res was brought into the New South Wales regulatory framework into their energy road map and that changes the way the project is approved and I think might be the reason, but that is I I I can't be definitive on that. But just in terms of consultation, the process of releasing a draft and then a final is in fact to do that consultation. So uh AMO then takes submissions on the draft ISP and takes that information to into account when it's developing its final.
>> Okay. Thank you. This is where I'm going with these questions. The 2025 methodology document for the integrated system plan says on page 36, quote, if a project is in the process of meeting at least three of the criteria, it is defined as an anticipated project. In classifying anticipated projects, AMO needs to be reasonably confident the process the project will proceed. how Aheimo explained exactly which criteria it thinks have been met or pro progressed enough to warrant anticipated status and whether they are confident the project will will proceed. Can you provide me with the details that you're referring to?
>> Senator Roberts, I can't provide them to you now, but I can take it on notice and um see what is available in the AMO documents.
>> Thank you. It seems
>> Senator Roberts, last question for this
and I'll move the call. How can your AMO minister claim that the optimal development path is actually the best and most coordinated pathway and in consumer interests if it is is essentially just reflecting decisions taken by other governments where there doesn't seem to be any consumer interest
Senator that the lowest cost um electricity uh answer for Australia is uh renewables backed by storage and gas.
>> Can you provide on notice? Provide me with data behind that.
>> I know that's the case.
>> Can you provide me with data behind
that? There are innumerable um CSRO reports for example
>> like genost
>> uh that that
>> fraudulent genos report.
>> Well, you you you um you make those slurs. Um the way that you conduct yourself is a matter for you.
>> It's public knowledge that they're distorting. They they even had in their own press release that that coal is cheaper.
>> I I understand that it's uh fashionable amongst um representatives to denigrate the work of Australian scientists in our premier national science organizations
>> politicized
>> um uh and that that is the only way uh that you continue to make those kind of claims. We know that that is the case. We rely upon the experts, not the uh social media posters and the cartoonists. we rely upon uh the evidence and the evidence is very clear and it does require cooperation between Commonwealth and state governments to deliver these projects. Um and you know in my own portfolio area delivering wind and solar generation in the great state of Queensland to support industrial jobs in central Queensland required the cooperation of the private sector, the Commonwealth and the state government. We will keep doing that. uh and if in New South Wales the framework that they adopt is through the renewable energy zones that is the framework that we will work with because that is in the interests of lowerc cost electricity, >> industrial jobs, bluecollar communities uh and um you know cuz we're we're about practical action to deliver for them not slogans that that would destroy those communities and destroy those jobs which is where you're coming from. Minister,
you realize that the solar and wind are coming unraveled around the world now, but you're still maintaining that line. Thank you, chair.
>> Thank you very much. I would need to move the call and I'll move to Senator