The Northern Territory Government has announced it has established an Office of Sustainable Energy to deliver on its promise of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
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This week, the Minister for Renewables, Energy and Essential Services, Dale Wakefield represented the Territory at the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council meeting in Perth.
Ministers from across Australia and New Zealand gathered for the forum to contribute to the development of national energy reforms.
For the fifth year in a row, the Climate Council has condemned the Northern Territory's effort in the climate crisis, as it continues to expand the unconventional gas industry.
The NT Government lifted its three-year moratorium on exploration fracking for onshore shale gas last year, despite fierce opposition.
The move sparked widespread action across the Territory.
Hundreds of people have rallied to protest against the decision including a group of anti-fracking protesters who blocked a truck carrying equipment for fracking of exploratory wells in the Beetaloo Basin this year, and the first student-led climate strike in Katherine.
The NT Government released a draft Climate Change Response in October addressing the risks of the climate crisis while still creating new economic and business opportunities.
At the time, the government acknowledged climate change as one of the most pressing global challenges, and acknowledged Territorians want a heightened focus on building a renewables industry.
In response to inquiries from the Katherine Times on whether it would ban fracking, a spokeswoman said: "The Independent Scientific Inquiry into hydraulic fracturing found that risks could be mitigated if all the recommendations of their report were implemented."
"The worldwide transition to cheap, clean, renewable energy presents incredible economic opportunities for the Northern Territory," Minister for Renewables, Energy and Essential Services, Dale Wakefield said this week.
"The Territory Labor Government understands this and is acting now to secure more local jobs in these industries of the future.
The Office of Sustainable Energy will coordinate energy policy and the implementation of renewables across Government.
According to the government, the office is already working on electricity market reforms, developing strategies for advancing the Territory's target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030, and seizing opportunities for the creation of cheap, reliable, and clean energy.
The office is also developing a Solar and Renewable Hydrogen investment attraction strategy for the Northern Territory.
"Through the COAG Energy Council, the Territory Government participates in national energy reforms and broader opportunities for the Territory and Australia, including the national hydrogen strategy," Ms Wakefield said.
"Additionally, we have established the Office of Sustainable Energy to coordinate energy policy across Government and ensure that we seize the economic opportunities that new renewable industries will create. This includes the potential for thousands of new jobs."
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