Peak power-industry group the Australian Energy Council intervened in the debate to insist the nation must retain the target to provide certainty for investors. “Just because a target will be challenging to meet, that is not a reason to stop trying,” said Ben Barnes, the council’s interim chief executive. The group represents the nation’s biggest electric utilities including AGL, Origin, EnergyAustralia and Alinta, which own major coal- and gas-fired power plants while also investing heavily in renewables. These companies have said they have no plans to develop nuclear energy in Australia.
