The south-west will become an epicentre of a massive increase in renewable projects, jobs and money under a re-elected Andrews Government.
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The government said it would build on Labor's Victorian Renewable Energy Target legislation that would ensure 25 per cent of electricity generation comes from renewable sources by 2020, and 40 per cent by 2025. It said it expected that these targets will help deliver around $9 billion of investment and create more than 11,000 jobs over the life of the scheme.
The government said the VRET would put more energy into the grid, delivering up to 5400 megawatts of new, large scale renewable energy capacity by 2025.
The Liberals have promised to scrap the VRET.
The state government said in four years 732MW of new renewable energy capacity had been built, and more than 3000MW of renewable capacity was under construction or contracted to be built.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D'Ambrosio said the VRET had helped create a jobs boom and boosting it further would see more jobs created.
"The last Liberal Government smashed our renewable energy sector and the Liberals are promising to do it again by axing VRET if they're given the chance,” she said.
"Only Labor will deliver our ambitious renewable energy targets, creating new jobs and investment for the future, and driving down power prices for Victorian families and businesses."
The government said Victoria's first renewable energy auction is delivering 928MW of renewable energy, with the six projects across the state producing enough electricity to power 646,273 households - the equivalent of powering the towns of Ballarat, Bendigo, and Geelong combined.
The power produced by these projects is also expected to drive a 16 per cent reduction in Victoria's electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2034/35.
The government said Jeff Kennett and the Liberals privatised Victoria's power industry, promising competition would lead to cheaper electricity prices, but the only winners are the big energy companies making big profits while Victorians pay higher prices. It said boosting the VRET built on work to cut power bills, from the $50 Power Saving Bonus, to subsidising solar panels and installing batteries or hot water systems.
