Far North too reliant on power from south

CYCLONE Yasi has revealed the Far North’s need to fast-track pathways to alternative energy, an expert says.
More than 60 per cent of north Queenslanders were without electricity before and during the category 5 cyclone and 12,400 customers from Babinda to Ingham are still waiting to be reconnected as Ergon Energy crews work around the clock to restore power.
University of Queensland sustainable energy expert Dr Andrew Dicks said now was the time the Far North became less grid-dependent.
“Certainly in regional Queensland, a good case could be made for generating your own power,” Dr Dicks said.
“A lot of people do it already, in terms of having solar power and so forth.
“Rather than relying on the grid to provide the power always, then perhaps these occasions do force us to look at what the alternatives are and, if it means a more dispersed energy delivery system, then that’s all the better.”
The Far North already has a wind farm on the Atherton Tableland, hydropower in use at Barron Gorge, and extensive household use of solar power.
The State Opposition has suggested the rollout of an underground power network. However, this has been ruled too prohibitive by the Queensland Government.
Opposition Deputy Leader Lawrence Springborg said blackouts could have been avoided but the Government now needs to make underground networking a “top priority”.
“A progressive underground key electricity network service should have been rolled out for the people in the north but unfortunately the Government has chosen to play politics about this issue,” he said.
“Underground networking should be done to areas that are highly exposed to extreme weather conditions.
“There is a large cost involved in doing this and that’s why the LNP wanted underground networking to be progressively rolled out over a period of time.
“We’ve been fighting for this to happen for 10 years so. We could be eight to 10 years down the track now and potentially a lot of people who are currently without power in north Queensland would have power today.
However, the State Government said Ergon operated the largest electricity district in the world and an underground network in the state would cost $56 billion.
Queensland Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said underground networks were not the answer as it would result in “huge increases in bills that would make electricity unaffordable”.
The Far North generates little of its own power with the bulk coming out of central Queensland.
Electricity to the Far North power is supplied by a spine of transmission towers that goes inland from Townsville to Cairns; where it is then supplied through another spine of towers down the coast and south of Mackay.
She warned if the inland spine was brought down it would mean “catastrophic failure” of the electricity supply system to the Far North.