A federal government energy bill aimed at giving relief to consumers hit by steep electricity price hikes has instead boosted uncertainty among Tasmanian electricity customers that need to sign a new contract by the end of the month, an energy expert has said.
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Marc White, principal consultant with Hobart company Goanna Energy, said he knew of several large Tasmanian customers who recently or were about to sign new power or gas contracts, and were wondering how the proposed federal relief package could affect them.
"I've got two customers today, one in the aquaculture industry and one in the aged care industry, with multiple electricity proposals on the table wondering whether or not they should sign them because of the promise of a price cap," Mr White said.
The Energy Price Relief Plan was announced by state and federal energy ministers last week and includes a proposed price cap on gas, $1.5 billion in relief to consumers and a new capacity investment scheme.
Since being announced, few details about the plan have been made public as it was debated in Canberra on Thursday.
Mr White said this lack of detail about the plan made it difficult for Tasmanian businesses that need to re-contract, but didn't want to be caught out if the package succeeds in bringing down electricity and gas prices.
"We have been lobbying the state government that anybody who has signed a contract from May onwards should have access to the relief," he said.
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