Tasmania has been forced to reactivate a gas-fired power station for the first time in five years due to low dam levels caused by a dry summer.
The move has sparked debate during parliamentary question time, with Labor pushing for the government to clarify its future energy plans.
The opposition argues that the state’s power shortage is harming the economy and costing jobs.
“Yes, [the Tamar Valley Power Station is] on at the moment for commercial reasons,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said in response to a question from Labor’s Dean Winter.
“I’m not sure what you expect me to do about low rainfall?”
“As much as we would like to control the weather and the low rainfall and make it rain, we cannot, but we do have options available.”
Mothballed in 2014, the power station was brought back online the following year to help address Tasmania’s energy crisis, triggered by the failure of Basslink.
Reports indicate that running the Tamar Valley Power Station during the crisis cost the state $47 million.
Hydro Tasmania has been running the combined-cycle gas turbine as a pre-emptive measure to maintain water storage levels since June 6.
“The Premier said he can’t make it rain,” Winter said.
“One thing he could have done is build more windfarms, but the reality is that his minority Liberal government has made Tasmania the hardest place to build a windfarm in the nation.”
“It’s now nearly four years since the last windfarm (Granville Harbour) came online in Tasmania.”
