Transmission revolution will fail without workers to power it
A small business-led apprenticeship revolution is urgently needed to cope with the nation’s rapid and irreversible energy transformation.
Master Electricians Australia CEO Malcolm Richards welcomed today’s report by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) calling for urgent investment of $12 billion in new transmission lines to secure energy supply for the next decade.
Mr Richards also backed expectations included within the report of 25,000 more skilled workers being needed for large-scale renewable projects across the country by 2027.
“Minister Chris Bowen is calling this the transmission revolution. However, the revolution will fail if we do not address the current skills crisis in the electrical industry,’’ Mr Richards said.
“The answer is to increase subsidies to encourage employers to take on more apprentices. Around 85 per cent of apprentices are employed by small contractors.
“The industry is currently flat out meeting current demand. We estimate we have a backlog of two years for work on renewable energy projects.’’
Mr Richards said AEMO’s updated roadmap to supply affordable and reliable electricity in the march to Net Zero by 2050 was visionary. However, it failed to consider the impact of Distributed Energy Resources, the army of often domestic renewable resources, including Electric Vehicles, which can be aggregated to provide value to the grid.
“We expect a million more EVs, effectively a battery on wheels, coming onto the market within the next eight years and taking advantage of this resource will be essential to support our energy future,’’ he said.
Mr Richards also called on the Federal Government to streamline immigration processes to allow business better access to an international pool of skilled industry workers.
Ends
MEA CEO Malcolm Richards is available for comment
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07 3221 922, After Hours: 0467 792 013
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