State to swap green plants for concrete funds
The New South Wales Government is looking to drum up cash by letting go of some goods, starting with all the state’s renewable energy assets.
The hydro-electric generators, wind farm and carbon storage lands belonging to Green State Power will be sold to fund infrastructure projects.
The package, which includes 1634 hectares of Mallee trees to be registered for carbon storage, has a combined output of 105 megawatts. NSW Treasurer Mike Baird said in a statement today that long-term contracts would remain in place for a proportion of the output.
“While relatively small in terms of output, these renewable assets are strategically important in ensuring a diverse and clean supply of energy in the national electricity market,” he said.
The sale of pollution-reducing and forward-thinking projects is expected to raise a good amount of capital for state infrastructure projects.
Reports say thirty per cent of the funds raised will be reserved for projects in regional areas, although one hundred per cent of the assets for sale are located in regional areas.
The deadline for expressions of interest in Green State power assets is 10am (AEDT) on January 28.
Macquarie Generation will be sold too, with the NSW government expecting to initiate the sale process for Delta Electricity's Central Coast power stations as soon as possible.