Carbon price revenue helps ice energy costs

Revenue from the carbon price will help Adelaide’s largest ice manufacturer, Adelaide Ice Service, to reduce energy costs by up to $20,000 a year.

The Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation, Greg Combet, and the Federal Member for Port Adelaide, Mark Butler, today announced the company had been awarded a grant of almost $90,000 from the carbon price-funded Clean Technology Food and Foundries Program to install a 87.5 kW photovoltaic solar system at its ice manufacturing plant in Regency Park.

Combet said, “The Gillard government is committed to a strong manufacturing industry and we are working with the sector to find ways to improve production processes and reduce emissions at the same time.”

Butler added, “Labor has committed a billion dollars through the Clean Technology Investment Programs to work with industry to help reduce energy costs, reduce emissions and improve competitiveness.

“Adelaide Ice Service provides an important service to many local businesses and through this simple project the company is helping the environment and reducing its own costs.”

The support provided from the Clean Technology Investment Programs complements the Gillard government’s $1 billion Plan for Australian Jobs, designed to assist the manufacturing sector deal with the challenges of a high Australian dollar and increased competition from overseas.

“Labor is the only party supporting manufacturing in Australia. We have worked hand in hand with the industry and workers to implement a package designed to address the substantial pressures the sector is under,” said Combet.

“This support is under threat from Tony Abbott. He will tear down the $1 billion grant program that is helping manufacturers like Adelaide Ice Service, he will cut up to $2 billion of crucial support for the automotive sector and he is saying no to the $1 billion Aussie Jobs package.

“The greatest threat to manufacturing in Australia is an Abbott-led government.”