Nick Xenophon’s SA BEST party has waded into the South Australia energy war, with an election promise to cut power prices by as much as 20 per cent, by setting up a community electricity co-op.
Billed as an “exciting plan to lower power prices using the co-operative model of community electricity trusts,” the policy was unveiled on Tuesday ahead of the March 17 state election.
It follows a battery of energy policy promises from Jay Weatherill’s Labor Party, including plans to boost the state renewables target to 75 per cent, to introduce an energy storage target, and to adopt nation-leading electric vehicle incentives.
The SA Liberal Party has been less ambitious, but in October last year promised $100 million in grants to help homes to buy and install battery storage.
The SA BEST policy proposal gives form to one of Xenophon’s most favoured campaign slogans, which promised to give power back to the South Australian people.
To be named the Community Electricity Trust of SA (cETSA), the co-operative retailer would be made up of 50,000 lower-income households and up to 5000 small businesses, and power prices for those members would come down by 20 per cent.
The retailer would also be able to tender to develop 150MW of new renewable energy generation.
“The co-operative (energy) model has an internationally proven track record for delivering services,” said Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals CEO Melina Morrison.
“(It) is already being deployed in countries around the world, including the USA, Germany and Denmark,” she said.
“Nick Xenophon has been a long-time champion of co-operative and mutual enterprises – the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals is confident this won’t be the last creative solution to SA’s problems using the co-op and mutual model from SA BEST.”
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
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Not sure about Xylophone’s bright idea on retailer tender for 150MW of new RE generation. The Xylophone’s leading hand in giving us our ‘Wind Commissioner’ doesn’t exactly instil much confidence that his heart is into RE. It’s been a couple of years now so how many victims exactly has our Wind dude found to have suffered brain damage from Wind Turbines? Can the Xylophone help us out.
Xenophon doesn’t have a clue who’s causing high prices. Just pushing federal LNP line of talking to your energy retailer. Of which there are many offering similar discounts.
Not tackling the problem of coal based generators skimming the system.
Nitwit Xylophone…once a Liberal ALWAYS a Liberal.
This idea of Xenophon will work because it empowers the people. a cETSA will attract thousands of mums and dads (especially older ones)who want to take charge of their energy and to be actively involved in what is happening and not treated as silent dummies on the side-line.
What a load of old cobblers, Conafone.
South Australians don’t fall for it, vote 1 Jay.