Last week's Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) report highlights the desperate need for the government to urgently upgrade Victoria's deteriorating energy network to avoid catastrophic blackouts over summer.
The report forecasts national electricity supply reliability over 10 years.
It warned that Victoria's failing network and insufficient supply will increase the risk of energy shortfalls over summer and an increase in rolling blackouts can be expected.
The Victorian government needs to take immediate action to protect vulnerable Victorians and businesses that depend on a reliable energy supply.
In many farming systems, consistent energy supply is critical to caring for animals in the summer heat and safely storing perishable food products.
Anyone concerned about animal welfare and food safety must also be concerned about reliable, accessible energy for our farms.
Farmers have lost trust in the ageing energy network, and are looking for upgrades to the current energy infrastructure to meet the needs of growing regional businesses and a future of renewable energy opportunities.
The state government recently boosted their renewable energy target to 50 per cent by 2030.
There is a strong will in the agricultural industry to further increase renewable energy production on farms.
However, many farmers are hesitant to invest in renewable energy because the grid infrastructure is so old that they are unable to feed energy back into the grid.
Energy security and planned outages are hot topics every summer, yet each time the weather cools, so too does the government's focus on this essential service.
Victorian farmers cannot wait for the heat of summer to set in before the government gets its act together.
- Paul Mumford, UDV president
