Victoria’s energy woes have been compounded by Victorian Labor’s disastrous energy policies as a gas ‘shortage’ looms, Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster says.

The Australian Energy Market Operator on Wednesday warned gas generators may need to run off diesel during periods of high demand as soon as 2025, with claims Australia faces a gas shortage.

“The only shortage in Victoria is in leadership on energy policy, after Victorian Labor banned both gas exploration, and new gas connections in residential developments. Victoria has untapped resources sacrificed for green ideology,” Dr Webster said.

Meanwhile, on Friday 22 March, 81 per cent of Victoria’s power was being supplied by brown coal and at 66 per cent across the last 12 months. Brown coal’s CO2 emissions profile is approximately double that which would occur with natural gas, which can provide reliable baseload power.

“Mallee residents and their fellow Victorians – particularly the elderly and vulnerable – need their government to keep the lights, heating and cooling on. Labor demonises gas and coal while they chase their unrealistic political target of ‘net zero’ emissions by 2045. The potential reliance on high CO2 emission diesel to backup Victorian energy exposes the recklessness of the Albanese and Allan Labor Governments’ renewables railroad.”

“Labor’s heavy-handed and fast tracked policies are not guaranteeing energy supply,” Dr Webster said, “Mallee residents, Victorian households and businesses continue to pay the price for the Allan Labor Government’s incompetence. Labor want to railroad Mallee farmers and residents into wearing wind turbines and transmission lines with inadequate compensation from compulsory acquisition, when we have the gas to make a sensible clean energy transition. Whether it is energy generation or electric vehicles, Labor keeps forcing unachievable political targets on communities with dire consequences.”

The fast-tracking of coal power station closures is expected to further increase Victoria’s need for gas while renewables fail to meet demand.

“When the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing, competency and common sense tells you that gas is the only viable current solution to meet the shortfall,” Dr Webster said.

“Labor’s wind-and-solar dogma is compromising power reliability and community safety to meet their reckless renewable energy targets.”