We welcome today’s announcement from the South Australian Government, “South Australian Power for South Australians”.

BHP Billiton has been working closely with the South Australian Government throughout the recent period of instability in the electricity market.

It was pleasing to see the Plan address the critical issue of energy security through a number of infrastructure and policy initiatives.

BHP Billiton’s submission to the Finkel Review called for the need to stabilise the market in South Australia as a first priority and we are encouraged by the announcement to invest in battery storage, incentivise gas production while continuing to focus on meeting emissions reduction targets.

We look forward to engaging with industry and government stakeholders on the technical details and implementation. Critical to this will be understanding the pricing implications.

To be sustainable, globally competitive and able to attract long-term investment in this State, it is critical South Australian businesses, including Olympic Dam, have access to secure and competitively priced electricity.

South Australian business and residents cannot afford a repeat of the energy issues experienced over the past eight months, and we look forward to immediate steps being taken which will provide greater energy security for the State before the end of the year.