Abbott attacks wind farms again

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described Labor’s 50% renewable energy target by 2030 as “truly bizarre” which will lead to “massive overbuild of wind farms”.

Tony Abbott has previously described wind farms as "visually awful" and his government recently instructed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to stop lending money to support wind farm construction as well as installation of solar panels on rooftops.

According to the Prime Minister the government’s target of 23 per cent renewable energy in the power mix was “more than enough”. While he warned that Labor’s 50% target would cost energy consumers “perhaps $60 billion or more”.

As part of preparations for a major international climate conference later this year, the government is due to announce its own target for how much it will seek to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by the 2025 to 2030 period. If it is to match reduction targets similar to those of US, Canada and Europe then analysts expect it would require large-scale replacement of coal-fired power stations beyond the existing 23% Renewable Energy Target.

This statement from Abbott appears to suggest he would instead seek to grow the use of gas or nuclear power instead, both of which face considerable public opposition.