Press conference with Kate Worden MLA, Minister for Renewables and Energy in Darwin, Northern Territory

NT MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND RENEWABLES KATE WORDEN: Kate Worden, Minister for Energy and Renewables. First I'd like to really welcome, a warm welcome to Chris Bowen, the Federal Minister for Energy and Climate, who's made a special trip to Darwin to be with us for this announcement today.

We have struck a deal with the Federal Government. We're really, really, very pleased to have them in, backing in our plans for renewables, our roll out across the Territory.

We've got a number of plans for the Darwin Katherine electricity system. We also have plans for Alice Springs, that system there, and we've got our remote renewable power strategy underway at the moment.

So we've got a very clear pathway forward for where we need renewables to come into our system, not only stabilise, but also drive down energy prices in the Northern Territory.

So to strike a deal with the Federal Government, $250 million coming into the Northern Territory to assist us to make that transition, investment in things like big batteries; we've seen the one that's going very shortly out to Wurrumiyanga, that will reduce their energy prices by up to 50 per cent out in the islands.

So we know that there's a lot of work ahead of us, a lot of investment is required in this space, but we're very, very pleased to be partnering today with the Federal Government so that we can continue to invest in those plans which will help us reach that target, our 2050 target, also our 2030 targets around renewable energy.

I'll invite Minister Bowen to say a few words.

MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY CHRIS BOWEN: Well, thanks very much Kate, it's great to be here with Kate and with Eva to announce the important partnership between the Albanese Government and the Northern Territory Government, the Albanese and the Lawler Governments.

No part of Australia should miss out on our energy revolution, no part of Australia can miss out on the benefits of renewable energy and the Northern Territory is of course a very important part of our renewable energy plans.

So today, two important announcements: Rewiring the Nation, there's no transition without transmission. We need to move energy around our great country more efficiently. We need to move that renewable energy around as well.

And so our Rewiring the Nation policy is designed and is doing just that, and an important contribution today, a $250 million contribution for the Northern Territory under Rewiring the Nation.

As Kate said, we are primarily focused on the Darwin Katherine interconnected system, but important for reliability across the board. Getting energy around the Northern Territory more efficiently means a more reliable energy system for Territorians. It means being able to get energy from where it's being produced anywhere in the Northern Territory, into Darwin, into Katherine, and also into other major centres.

This will be provided through concessional finance, like it has been in the other States and territories, and I was delighted to reach this agreement with Kate, she did put up a bit of a hard fought negotiation, but as is the case, as she represents the best interests of Territorians, but we reached agreement and we're announcing today this $250 million contribution to the territory under Rewiring the Nation.

Secondly, solar banks. This is important. We are announcing two contributions under solar banks, both around $2.3 million from the Queensland, one which will be in relation to making it easier and better for stratas and apartments to put solar panels on their rooves.

That's very, very important. A lot of Australians live in apartments, and these are important contributions, and it can be hard to make the economics work in an apartment, and the Northern Territory Government will have more to say in coming weeks about the detail of implementation, we're announcing the funding. And also solar banks with Commonwealth funding, new solar panels on Territory buildings, Territory Government buildings which will then be enabled through solar banks policies to enable those vulnerable families, families doing it tough that can't afford their own solar panels to be able to buy in that system. Again the Territory Government will have more to say in coming weeks about detailed implementation and after announcing that policy today.

So it's been great on behalf of the Albanese Government to negotiate with the Lawler Government, to negotiate with Kate on behalf of the Lawler Government. It is an important partnership like all our State and Territory partnerships. We see the States and Territories as partners and friends, not as somebody to be bulldozed over, not as someone to have Canberra veto   others in Federal Parliament have that view  and insisting what energy policies will be in different States and Territories, not my view, we work in partnership, so it's great to be here today.

The Chief might add a few remarks, and we'll take questions.

NT CHIEF MINSTER EVA LAWLER: Eva Lawler, Chief Minister. So a really important announcement today, around $250 million, an agreement between the Northern Territory Government and the Federal Government, and that's what you get when you have Labor in the Northern Territory, you have Labor federally, and you can work together to deliver for Territorians.

We've been really clear and really determined to get to our 50 per cent renewable target by 2030, a really important target for Territorians, and we've got clear plans to do that. We've got our Darwin Katherine electricity grid plan that provides a clear pathway. It has that information in there around the BESS, so we have already got one big battery out at Channel Island, we've got a second battery on the way. We have to keep that grid stable.

With Territory Generation, we've got those quick start generators going into Channel Island as well. So we've got a very clear plan, but we've also got to make sure our grid stays stable across Darwin Katherine, but of course the Territory as well.

We've got our clear plans for our remote communities. 72 remote communities will in the future have 70 per cent of their energy provided by renewables. So getting rid of the diesel, getting rid of expensive diesel and replacing those with solar.

So we've got a clear plan how we do that. We've got our plan also around our Renewable Energy Hub, there was money in Budget 2024 around our renewable energy hub. So Jacana will have that expression of interest around 100 megawatts of power to be generated through our Renewable Energy Hub.

But hearing today this money that we've got around transmission lines, that will provide support, for example, to the Renewable Energy Hub so that we can then have that power moving from the Renewable Energy Hub to Channel Island.

So really good news today around our partnership with the Federal Government. I know people say to me, you know, "You promote gas", but you can do both in the Northern Territory, and as Chief Minister, I'm determined to do both.

We know the importance of gas, we know the importance of gas as a transition fuel for the Northern Territory. But we also embrace, we absolutely embrace renewables and solar in the Northern Territory, and we've seen that around the high levels of the high take up of solar PV, the high take up of batteries now, our brands that we have around batteries.

But really pleased to be here today in partnership with the Federal Government around a really good announcement, $250 million for the Northern Territory Government so that we can work to deliver our target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030.

JOURNALIST: Minister Bowen.

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes.

JOURNALIST: What exactly   the $250 million, what exactly is that money going to go towards? Are there any sort of projects you can point to?

CHRIS BOWEN: It's going to go to concessional finance for transmission of priority determined by the Northern Territory Government. The Northern Territory Government, the Lawler Government has identified the Darwin Katherine interconnected system as priority number one, we agree with that.

There will be some more detailed design work to go into the actual lines, but that work can only proceed when they know it's being financed, and it will be financed by this deal.

JOURNALIST: So will it be about creating new links where there aren't any?

CHRIS BOWEN: Yes.

JOURNALIST: Or is it about updating the current   

CHRIS BOWEN: It can be both, it can be both. Both require money, but obviously, whether it's new links or augmenting existing links is part of can be part of it, but certainly new links, better connecting different places is what takes the big money, and therefore needs the bigger support.

JOURNALIST: So is this money - there's been a lot of discussion around connecting existing solar systems out in the rural area. Is that money going to go toward potentially hooking those up and making sure that they are available, or is this for potentially other projects? 

KATE WORDEN: I'm going to take that. So those solar systems are, the ones that we're talking about are already connected, so this is in addition to that. This is, as the Chief Minister spoke about, the Renewable Energy Hub bringing in, that Sun Cable will come into that Renewable Energy Hub as well as the work that Jacana's doing at the moment, so we need to make sure that we've got all of the infrastructure that can carry us through to the future.

JOURNALIST: You say it's a focus on the Darwin Katherine grid, so it's unlikely this money will go towards connecting remote communities?

KATE WORDEN: So we need to do a lot of work from here on in. Now that we know that we've got the financing available to us, we'll do that work now around where that money can go, and we'll have a lot more to say about that in the future.

JOURNALIST: Is there a Northern Territory contribution to this, given obviously, you know, how the situation with power and water is in Northern Territory generation and the ageing infrastructure that we do have in place now would take more than $250 million alone really.

KATE WORDEN: So the Territory Government is already investing. You've seen us invest in the BESS out at Channel Island. That will be in full commission by the end of this year. We're already well down the track of the 16 new batteries under DK BESS 2 program. We've got the Wurrumiyanga project. 

So there's a whole range of projects we're already going ahead with, but we know that to get there we need to move fast, and this enables us to do that planning. We know where the infrastructure needs to go, and so we'll be investing in those priority areas first.

JOURNALIST: How soon will this money roll out [indistinct]?

CHRIS BOWEN: So the question was how immediately the money will flow?

JOURNALIST: Yes.

CHRIS BOWEN: The money will flow to the Northern Territory immediately, so Minister Worden and I are signing the funding agreement just after this, on a roof of a car, I believe in Northern Territory style for a signing of agreement.

JOURNALIST: Why not? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Why not? Then of course there will be Northern Territory Government having, knowing the money is there, and entering the detailed planning for the links, also there will be further funding agreements with the new finance corporation that provides the finance on behalf of the Federal Government.

In relation to solar banks, that money's also available to the Northern Territory immediately, and we envisage that program's going to roll out later in the year around November.

JOURNALIST: Minister, in regards to COP 31, is it true that that Australia's basically in the box seat now to host the next climate forum understanding that Türkiye may not as much support nearly as Australia for this?

CHRIS BOWEN: I certainly wouldn't say, I certainly would not characterise it that way, because we are in a process which we respect, and we are bidding to host COP 31 in 2026, we are respectful of the process underway. I'm very respectful of Türkiye's bid, they are friends, and you know, I treat their bid with seriousness and respect.

I'm pleased with the amount of support we're receiving. We've received support from New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, for example, in our Western European [indistinct] group, but it is not to say that I am complacent, or I don't take Türkiye's bid, I don't treat it with the respect it deserves.

JOURNALIST: Are you in negotiations with Türkiye about them withdrawing their bid?

CHRIS BOWEN: I met with my Turkish counterpart two days ago, but we discussed our respective bids. I would not say that it's a negotiating process, but we're in a conversation about that; that's no secret. That's the way the process works. It's a great opportunity for Australia and our power and our ambition to be a renewable energy superpower to host COP.

You know, the previous Government ran away from COPs, and was an embarrassment at COPs. We've changed our climate policy so much that we are now a serious and credible candidate to host a COP. But it would be a good opportunity for Australia's renewable energy future, but as I said, I'm respectful of ballots, I'm respectful of processes, and I don't want to get ahead of ourselves in respect of the process that will unfurl in the coming months.

JOURNALIST: The NT Government's deal to buy Beetaloo Gas from Tamboran [indistinct] for at least nine years means that the NT is unlikely to meet its 50 per cent renewables by 2030 target. Are you concerned by that?

CHRIS BOWEN: I'm not sure I accept the premise of the question. The Chief has made it very clear they're committed to the renewable energy target, which of course we support, and that's why we're here supporting their efforts.

Now, gas has a role to play in support of renewables. The Coalition thinks that renewables have a role to play in supporting gas. That's not right. Gas has a role to play in supporting renewables. And that role is very flexible. It can be turned on and off at short notice. That is the key. You can't turn coal on and off at short notice. You can't turn nuclear on and off at short notice; once they're on, they're on. Gas, gas fired peaking at a power station, you can call on and you can not call on as renewables in the system as required, with two minutes' notice, some gas fired peaks.

So that's why we support the role of gas. When the Opposition says Labor's got a renewables only policy, they're incorrect. Our policy is renewables, supported by gas, supported by transmissions, supported by storage. That is the Federal Government's approach, and that's also the Northern Territory Government's approach.

JOURNALIST: Eva Lawler just then said it was a transition. How long is this gas supported transition going to last, how many decades, do you think? 

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, if you look at the ISP, ISP made it clear, the way they put it, AEMO and the ISP, Integrated Systems Permits, which is a nationwide document but includes plans for the entire country, and the NEM in particular, but you know, that principle applies.

We need more gas fired peaking capability but less dispatch. i.e. you need to know that the gas is there when you move to a renewable system. You can call on it less and less as you get more and more renewables, and that's the way that we approach it.

JOURNALIST: Do you think the Sun Cable solar farm, you have mentioned it with regards to this $250 million of funding, but do you think that the Sun Cable solar farm project is viable, and it can go ahead?

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, ultimately that's a matter for Sun Cable and the Singaporean Government. I met with the Singaporean Government two days ago as well, and reiterated how important we see Sun Cable going forward. But ultimately of course it's a private sector project and is a matter for the Singaporean Government to work through, but obviously it's a good thing for the country, if it creates jobs in Australia and helps us export renewable energy to Singapore.

There's a few things you need for renewable energy; obviously sun, wind, water and mountains for pumped hydro, but above all you need room.

We've got plenty of that here in the Northern Territory. Singapore is constrained when it comes to room, to put it mildly. So it's good that they're looking at the Northern Territory and Sun Cable is a potential partner.

JOURNALIST: Did they express enthusiasm for it?

CHRIS BOWEN: They're interested, but that's been the case all the way through.

JOURNALIST: If they do walk away from the project, would you still like to see Sun Cable go ahead and potentially supply electricity to both Northern Territory and to the east?   

CHRIS BOWEN: Well, that will be something to be worked through. I don't want to sort of pre-empt any decisions of the Singaporean Government. Obviously there's benefits for Darwin in energy to be delivered as well as to Singapore, and which obviously is very important. But again, I don't want to pre-empt decisions of the Singaporean Government, or [indistinct] hypotheticals.