https://www.power-technology.com/ne...-multibillion-clean-energy-subsidies-package/Australia to join clean energy subsidies race with multibillion green fundAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that a major incentives package is essential for the country to become a renewable energy superpower.
Annabel Cossins-Smith February 20, 2024
Australia plans to unveil a multibillion-dollar green subsidies package to rival those of the US and the EU as it looks to boost domestic clean energy production.
The Albanese government will soon launch a subsidies and incentives initiative similar to the US $370bn Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the EU’s Green Deal, according to the
Australian Financial Review.In a speech delivered in Newcastle on Friday evening, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese argued that if Australia is to become a renewable energy superpower, “the government has to be a partner in this, not just an observer”.
“You can see that in the unprecedented investments the US and the EU and Japan and Korea are making in their industrial bases,” he said. “We don’t have to go dollar-for-dollar in our spending, but we can go toe-to-toe on the quality and impact of our policies. In all of this, we must be prepared to think big.”
Sources say the scheme is likely to be a combination of subsidies and co-investment, and will aim to redirect clean energy capital from the US to Australia.
Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest, who also owns Australian renewables company Squadron Energy, has previously pressured the government to provide more support for the country’s domestic energy transition. He has argued that Australia should join forces with countries such as Japan and Germany to compete with the IRA.
