NSW’s Net Zero Plan May Benefit China

The Federal Government is making changes to the renewable energy target scheme, but questions remain about how it will operate into the future. Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

The New South Wales (NSW) state government has declared it will spend $750 million on the Net Zero Plan for greenhouse gas emissions as part of an $11.6 billion investment over the next 10 years.

Announcing the plan, along with the new Net Zero Industry and Innovation Program, on Monday, the NSW Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean said that the program is part of the government’s overall plan to reduce emissions by 35 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050.

Matt Kean, NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, looks on ahead of the opening of the national trail walk at the Royal National Park on September 14, 2019, in Bundeena, Australia. Jenny Evans/Getty Images

“This program will improve our environment, our economy and the lives of families in NSW,” Kean said. “As technology advances and industry experience grows, the cost of low emissions technologies will fall,” he added.

The plan also promises to support the state economic growth promising to create over 2,400 jobs and save households $40 a year on electricity bills.

However, Federal MP Craig Kelly expressed concern over the plan.

Kelly is concerned the program could inadvertently support China-based companies selling solar panels, wind-turbine components, and batteries, placing Australia at a direct economic disadvantage with China.

Member for Hughes Craig Kelly looks on during the opening of House of Representatives at Parliament House on February 03, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. Sam Mooy/Getty Images

“It’s a forced mandate that forces us to buy more solar panels, and of course, more than 90 percent of imported solar panels come from China,” Kelly told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.“It forces us to rely upon large batteries which come from China, more wind turbine parts, all of which come from China.”

“The net result will be a wealth transfer out of Australia to the Communist Party of China,” Kelly added.

Additionally, Kelly criticised the large $750 million expenditure, of which $195 million will go to research developing technology for sectors that are deemed hard-to-abate—essentially those that have no low-emission alternatives due to specific industrial processes, such as high-temperature heating, that rely on fossil fuels.

“What happens if it doesn’t work?” Kelly said.

Kelly also scrutinised Kean and the plan for not being transparent with their models and analysis, as no data has been released to support their target figures, such as their goal to save households $40 a year.