The Labor Party has announced its support for the Kurri Kurri gas plant, a $600 million project being pushed by the Morrison government – with the condition that the plant is switched to run on green hydrogen.
While Labor had initially criticised the project, describing it as not being justified by the “economics or the engineering”, at a recent press conference in Kurri Kurri, Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the party had changed its stance on the project and will instead support it.
The major condition is that the plant be converted to run on 30 per cent renewable hydrogen at least initially and with plans to convert the plant to 100 per cent green hydrogen in the future.
“We’ll work with Snowy to make sure that that occurs. This is a practical plan,” he said.
“The Government’s proposal is a flawed project. What we need to do is to make it a project that provides sustainable jobs, that provides job security and energy security. And our proposal will do just that.”
Mr Albanese said some of the hydrogen can be sourced from solar that could be constructed on site.
“There are range of proposals to do just that. And the site is an appropriate one to be able to feed in to ensure that it is green hydrogen.
In response, Gas Free Hunter Alliance co-coordinator Fiona Lee said while Labor’s commitment to renewables and providing future focussed jobs in the Hunter is welcomed, the Alliance believes not a single cent of public money should be spent subsidising a new fossil fuel project in Kurri Kurri.
“Any power station that burns more fossil fuels like gas is just worsening climate change,” Ms Lee said.
“You don’t get to transition away from fossil fuels by spending more money on them.”
Kurri Kurri local Lynn Benn said, locally, long term sustainable employment is desperately needed and the 10-20 ongoing jobs on offer at the Kurri Kurri gas plant are a drop in the ocean compared to the investment involved.
“People of the Hunter rely on fossil fuels and need retraining and support to rapidly transition away from these now insecure jobs. $600 million or more would be better spent on future focused jobs.”
