Harnessing our renewable energy

The world is moving away from fossil-fuel generation to renewable resources to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Tasmania was the first Australian jurisdiction to achieve net zero emissions, and has done so for the last seven years. In 2020 , Tasmania achieved 100% net self-sufficiency in renewable energy generation - one of only a handful of jurisdictions in the world to do so.

Building on from this strong foundation, the Tasmanian Government’s vision is to increase renewable energy generation to 200% of our current needs. Growth of our state’s renewable sector requires strategic planning and coordination to harness our renewable energy to secure a sustainable and clean energy future.

The work to achieve this vision will be guided by the Renewable Energy Coordination Framework (Framework) which focuses on four key pillars with associated priority actions:

• integrated infrastructure
• community
• environment
• economic

Getting alignment and balance across all pillars will ensure large scale renewable energy development occurs in the right place, at the right time to deliver positive benefits for our state and communities.

Implementing the Framework

The Framework includes an implementation plan that identifies eleven key actions required in the next two years. Since the release of the Framework in April 2022, most actions have been completed, including

• ReCFIT ran a Register of Interest process in 2022 which attracted a significant response with commercial interest in developing renewable generation, load and storage across Tasmania with more information available here.
• The identification of the northwest of the state in December 2022 to be the first region to be explored further for its capacity to become Tasmania’s first REZ informed by scenario planning and preliminary spatial analysis, and advice from TasNetworks
• release of a Tasmanian-specific guideline for community engagement and benefit sharing for renewable energy - a resource accessible to government, developers and communities to guide this process.
• Commencement of engagement on REZ objectives and outcomes and establishment process .

Throughout 2023 we will continue with the actions underway as part of the implementation plan which are important to the establishment of the pathways to achieve the TRET.  This includes investigations into market mechanisms and working with Tasmanian Government agencies to review the approvals and assessment processes for major renewables projects in the context of the scale and pace of the transition underway.

The Framework also considers other key factors including environmental, cultural, and social aspects as well as genuine community engagement and partnering that will deliver meaningful value in developing Tasmania’s REZ.