<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/energy-czar-wants-clarity-over-who-is-responsible-for-end-of-life-wind-and-solar-projects/>
"Australia’s energy infrastructure czar wants governments to provide more
clarity over who should bear the cost and the task of decommissioning wind and
solar farms as they reach their end of life in coming decades.
The first wind farms in Australia are already approaching their use-by dates,
and more wind and solar farms will reach the ends of their lives in the coming
two decades, sparking concerns about who will pick up the tab of removing these
assets if they are not “repowered” and have to be decommissioned.
Pacific Blue is the first on the east coast to endure the searing gaze of
social expectations around decommissioning, as it removes the country’s first
“commercial” scale wind project, the Codrington wind farm in Victoria (pictured
above).
But as this becomes more common, renewables proponents and landowners may begin
to discover potential flaws in the original agreements they signed.
The Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner, Tony Mahar, says there has
to be more certainty and clarity around who pays, what measures are going to be
in place and how much it will cost.
“It’s no secret that as this energy transition continues to progress, we should
keep our eye on the future and prepare for the safe and sustainable end-of-life
management of renewable energy infrastructure. For the most part the key
concern here is how much and who pays,” Mahar said in a statement.
“The community needs more confidence that there will collaboration and
rock-solid commitments that landholders won’t be left out of pocket if
something goes wrong.”
The AEIC has released a new paper that calls for state planning authorities
todevelop or revise mandatory model minimum requirements for end-of-life plans
as part of regulatory conditions for new projects.
It also wants nationally consistent and legally enforceable mechanisms that
will give landowners some financial security over costs.
And it wants a template for landowner agreements around how to handle
end-of-life activities, and for end-of-life provisions and site rehabilitation
to become part of the Developer Rating Scheme (DRS).
Mahar says these would improve landholder and community confidence in the
industry generally, and in how decommissioning will be handled."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
