Local cotton growers and ginners have hosted a long-awaited visit to St George by Minister for Energy, Renewables, and Hydrogen, Mick de Brenni to discuss agricultural energy-related concerns, accompanied by CA GM Michael Murray.

The visit, two years in the making, focused on issues such as tariffs, demand charges, capacity charges and the hurdles of selling excess solar energy back to the grid.

Grower Ian Brimblecombe highlighted the challenge of being unable to sell surplus solar power generated on his farm, pointing out “Selling excess solar into the grid isn't as easy as it sounds.

“We use solar to run our pumps, but we only run the pumps part of the year. There should be an easy way to sell our excess energy back to the grid."

At Queensland Cotton’s Beardmore gin, discussions shed light on the impact of demand and capacity charges on operations. With Beardmore gin having high electricity demand during ginning season when the operations run day and night and low usage during other times, demand charges are costly, and force some otherwise uncommercial decisions to be made as to when a gin is started or not.

The Minister also visited two pump sites where, despite the availability of electricity, growers found it more cost-effective to use diesel. Cotton growers Ian and Robyn Todd made the switch from electric to diesel pumps due to soaring electricity costs, and in particular the impact of demand charges.

Reflecting on the tour, Michael Murray noted, "The visit was well-received, providing valuable insights into the challenges faced by cotton growers. Cotton Australia is committed to working closely with Minister de Brenni to develop more localized solutions for the region."

Minister de Brenni, acknowledging the value of on-farm experiences, pledged to collaborate with growers, the industry, and the St George community to find practical solutions.