EUAA Submission: Incorporating An Emissions Reduction Objective Into The NEO
Emily Wood | February 7, 2023
‘After reading the AEMC’s “How the National Energy Objectives Shape Our Decisions”, the inclusion of emission reduction objectives in the national energy laws would appear to have little-to-no impact, as state and federal emissions reduction and climate policies are already considered in all decisions. However, further analysis shows that the most likely impacts for the inclusion of emissions reduction objectives are on the RIT-T and RIT-D processes. This change to the national energy laws comes at a time when there is significant community backlash to the personal impact of the transition to a highly distributed energy system. While this backlash is particularly prevalent around transmission projects, including the Western Renewables Link, VNI West and Humelink we can’t assume that any future transmission on VRE project will be immune. Regarding network impacts of the proposed additions to the NEO, we have several concerns regarding the implications to the RIT-T and RIT-D process in the current draft amendments.
After engagement with our interested member companies on the questions in the Consultation Paper, it has become clear that there are some key themes that are further addressed in our response to the Consultation
Questions below. These themes include:
• A general lack of clarity in the draft amendments that pave the way for different interpretations and applications
• Provision of discretions to the market bodies that allow for interpretations and applications outside of the intent of the amendments
• The requirement for all market participants to deliver on all aspects of the NEO, not just the bits that suit them…’
Please download attachment to read full submission.
