Further to our attendance at the second meeting of the External Stakeholder Reference Group last month, CME was pleased to invite Lance Glare, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Infrastructure WA (IWA) and Lauren Aitken, Director of Planning and Strategy at IWA, to present an overview of their one-on-one conversations with companies and government agencies to date to the Infrastructure Committee.
Lance iterated common themes being heard in the industry, which included:
- Common use infrastructure to support hydrogen and other emerging energy sectors in the Mid West or Pilbara
- Strategic development of Perth Airport’s New Runway Project to meet demand beyond 2050, which was approved by the Commonwealth Government on 21 November 2020
- Rio Tinto’s direct freight shipping service into Dampier, which could unlock regional economic development through lowering the cost of access to imports and exports
- Aspirations for green steel
- Optimising mine dewatering surpluses
- Encouraging codesign with Aboriginal enterprises for proposals.
IWA is on track to deliver a draft State Infrastructure Strategy for public consultation in mid-2021. The strategy is a great opportunity for member companies to influence how the State’s infrastructure will look in 10 or 20 years. As major users of ports, ships, road, rail and aviation networks, it is vital the sector’s views are represented in the bigger picture.
CME energy policy position principles
The Infrastructure Committee is in the process of collating and compiling member company views on the supply and demand of energy infrastructure across the state. The interdependencies of markets, regardless of source, will need careful consideration and coordination by both industry and government. This internal exercise is occurring alongside the Climate and Energy Reference Group’s (CME Environment Committee) development of an industry position.
There are several State and Federal funding grants up for grabs this year related to energy, including commercial fleets and industrial use. On top of this, there is a Senate inquiry into energy storage and a reform focus on the South West Interconnected System. Energy is critical to business and industry and maintaining its security and reliability – whilst also lowering its cost – will help unlock downstream value-adding opportunities across the state.
To be involved with the Infrastructure Committee, please reach out to L.Nguyen@cmewa.com.
