Improved Planning Urged to Clear Energy Bottleneck
Thursday 11 July 2025 – Electrical workers are calling on state and federal governments to overhaul energy project planning and approvals, after revelations from the market operator that one third of the power generated by large scale solar projects in south-eastern Australia will be wasted, destroying job opportunities, because of transmission project delays.
The call comes ahead of Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ national productivity roundtable next month, where energy will be a critical component because it is an enabler of productivity across the entire economy.
The AEMO report said that no major solar farms in Victoria and South Australia would be able to supply more than 65 percent of their capacity because of transmission project delays, and some will only be able to supply 35 percent of their capacity.
ETU National Secretary Michael Wright said the current planning and approvals process needed to be made better for everyone.
“Fixing project planning and approvals so they work better for workers and their communities as well as industry and the national economy should be a major priority for government,” Mr Wright said.
“Energy is a critical enabler of productivity. Every business in every sector uses it and pays for it. New industries that will drive productivity like critical minerals and data centres need it to spin up.
“If we are wasting a third of our energy instead of sending it where it needs to go because projects are delayed that’s a huge problem that places electrical workers jobs at risk.
“We need to stop consulting communities to death, provide a faster “yes” or a faster “no” for projects.
“This is how we give industry and workers the certainty to build the projects that will boost Australian productivity and create the jobs that will train the next generation of Australian power workers.”