With an eye to the continuation of the Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW’s Hunter Valley, the McKell Institute and the Electrical Trades Union of Australia are promoting a bad idea: the formation of a government-owned renewable energy company, Sovereign Power.This is to develop, own, and operate renewable power facilities, funded off the government balance sheet. The aim is to sell power at favourable rates to high-energy users, including smelters, but not to data centres. Why the exclusion of the latter? The McKell Institute thinks the tech giants can afford to pay extra for their needs. This betrays a bias for the old industries ahead of the new.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles