Victorian government must avert the worst impacts of energy shortfalls by rapidly electrifying homes

In response to the release of AEMO’s Gas Statement of Opportunities forecast today, Rai Miralles, Environment Victoria’s Climate and Energy analyst, said:

After many years of inaction, this latest forecast from AEMO is another wake-up call to the Victorian government that they need to get Victorian households off gas and support the rapid shift to energy efficient electric homes.

The good news is that the projected gas shortfalls are slated to hit in 2027 – so we still have time to address them – but the Victorian government needs to take action now.

The Victorian government needs to act now to avert the worst impacts of energy shortfalls by rapidly electrifying homes in an equitable manner (including subsidising lower income households and banning prohibitive gas disconnection fees).

It makes zero sense to keep making the problem worse by connecting more households to the gas network in Victoria – when we know they will be disconnected over the next decade because of energy security and climate change imperatives.

The message is clear from these gas shortfall forecasts – electrification of Victorian households isn’t happening fast enough and needs to be turbo-charged as the state breaks its current gas addiction.

Delaying plans to help households switch away from gas means risking dangerous and polluting gas supply projects later that could blow Victoria’s ambitious climate targets.

The next version of the Victorian government’s Gas Substitution Roadmap must have strong goals and timelines for electrification and ensure that Victorians can access affordable and renewable alternatives to fossil gas.

Port Kembla LNG has for years tried to secure customers for their gas but have failed to do so due to their high prices. Rather than offering expensive and polluting gas to consumers we should give them the opportunity to switch to efficient electric heating and hot water.