Irrigators-the flow on benefits of regionally embedded generation

摘要: Electricity is an essential input for Australian agricultural production. Nationally, energy costs represent 11% of growers input costs (CBA, 2018). The cost of energy used by the Australian agricultural sector is estimated to be $5.85 billion, with the cost of electricity at $2.4 billion, equal to almost 10% of the gross value of production (Heath, Darragh and Laurie, 2018). 4The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) 2017 inquiry into electricity prices concluded that rising costs are making Australian irrigated products less competitive. Electricity bills for irrigators increased by up to 300% between 2009 and 2014 (Agriculture Industries Energy Taskforce, 2017) and have continued to rise (Heath, Darragh and Laurie, 2018). An anticipated 50–70% rise in energy costs in 2017–18 for dairy processors could shave 1¢ per litre off the farmgate milk price if passed on, while growers at the same time are facing increases in their shed tariffs up to 20%(Dairy Australia, 2017).