The Australian argues that Australia has a clear interest in backing clean coal projects, and a technology-neutral all of the above approach is the correct way forward.
Malcolm Turnbull has said at the National Press Club Australias renewable energy target was never intended to be perpetual and did not rule out dumping the RET.
The Australian suggests the Coalition appears finally to have cracked the renewables-only dogma that limits Australias options to deal with energy security and greenhouse gas emissions.
The paper also points out that development of more efficient coal technologies and deployment of carbon capture and storage have been seen as efficient tools to reduce carbon footprint, and as a major fossil fuel export nation Australia has a particular interest in seeing both technologies reach their potential.
According to the Guardians report, Turnbull lamented that Australia is the worlds largest exporter of coal and has invested $590m since 2009 in clean coal technology but has not produced one such modern plant.
Old high-emissions coal power stations were closing, but could not be replaced by gas, because it was too expensive, or by wind and solar, because they were intermittent, the prime minister said.
The next incarnation of our national energy policy should be technology-agnostic - its security and cost that matter most, not how you deliver it, Turnbull said.
The Australian argues that it is wise to continue to direct investment support into emerging technologies such as battery storage and sophisticated grid management. A technology-neutral all of the above approach is the correct way forward.
