Sale of Vic Snowy Hydro stakes a 'win-win'

Victoria's sale of its $2 billion stake in the Snowy Hydro Project will be a windfall for renewables and infrastructure spending, the state government says.

Snowy Hydro Scheme

The federal government is buying Victoria's and NSW's stakes in the Snowy Hydro scheme. Source: AAP

The federal government has agreed to buy Victoria's and NSW's respective $2.077 billion and $4.154 billion stakes in the Snowy Hydro, in order to proceed with an expansion to benefit the east coast electricity grid.

In return, the states will have to spend the money on "productive infrastructure".

"Victorians will do exceptionally well out of this," the state's Treasurer Tim Pallas told ABC radio on Friday.

"They will get more power. It will sit consistently with the state's objectives to increase renewable energy and, importantly, this will free up over $2 billion for further investment in productivity-enhancing infrastructure."

Victoria's parliament will have to agree to the sale but Mr Pallas says he can't see any downside, with the project to ensure 2000 megawatts in extra power for both states.

Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said the deal also meant the Snowy Hydro stayed in public hands.

"Nobody can bind future governments but I don't think it's in the interests of any future governments, whatever their political persuasion, to do anything but keep this in public hands," the energy minister told the ABC.


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1 min read
Published 2 March 2018 1:42pm
By Saleem Al-Fahad
Source: AAP


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