LABOR’S ‘HANDS OFF HYDRO’ PROMISE EXPOSED AS BELL BAY SOLD


[ who could have predicted these headlines ?!?...]

Govt Should have Informed Public at Recent GBE Hearings


The Tasmanian Greens said that today’s announcement that the Bell Bay Power Station had been sold to Alinta exposed as hollow Labor’s “Hands off the Hydro” promise, and have also demanded to know why the public had not been informed during recent Government Business Enterprise Committee hearings that this sale was being negotiated.
Greens Opposition Energy spokesperson, Kim Booth MHA said that while it was heartening that Alinta wished to invest in the state, there remain serious questions for government to answer regarding whether the Tasmanian taxpayer had got the best deal possible by the sale of this asset.
“Today we have witnessed the fact that Labor has begun ditching its ‘Hands Off the Hydro” pledge to the Tasmanian people, most of whom at the time were led to believe that the promise covered all Aurora, Transcend and other power generators such as Bell Bay,” Mr Booth said.
“The Greens’ ‘Hands off the Hydro’ bill in 2001 did include the Bell Bay power station, yet notably the legislation eventually passed by Labor deliberately excluded this asset, despite the general understanding of the public during the 1998 state election campaign that Labor meant all of the Hydro’s comprehensive generational assets.”
“The sale of Bell Bay could well be Labor’s ‘thin edge of the wedge’ testing the water for the potential sale of Aurora or Transend which the Lennon government has so far refused to rule out.”
“The Greens also demand to know why the fact that the sale negotiations being underway were not mentioned by the Minister during the recent Hydro GBE Estimate hearings, as that would have enabled scrutiny regarding a number of matters including the decontamination of the site, and whether the costs of Basslink have prompted a cash grab.
“The Bell Bay sale for $120 million dollars to Alinta includes the three recently installed gas turbines but given that the Bell Bay site is heavily contaminated with asbestos and other contaminants, this deal still carries a huge and un-costed decontamination cost to government over the next ten years.”
“We also have concerns that the sale of the Bell Bay Power station is a grab for cash by the government to prop up Hydro’s ailing financial state caused by the huge financial cost of Basslink.”
“Until the government discloses the decontamination costs the gross sale price is misleading.”
“Hydro has been forced to grab some short term cash from Bell Bay to prop up its perilous financial position brought about by the Basslink adventure.”
“$120 million today will be paid back by the next government in the form of liability.”
“The contamination costs may mean that in reality the Bell Bay station may have effectively been given away for free.”
The Greens welcomed the news that the Roaring 40s had secured a joint venture agreement with a Chinese renewable energy company, Guohua Renewable Energy Investment Company Ltd. saying that further development of the State’s ability to export our renewable energy technology and expertise is a step in the right direction.