NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean has further distanced himself from the Federal Government's plans to build a gas peaking plant at Kurri Kurri.
Mr Kean was at Wednesday's green hydrogen announcement at Liddell power station at the same time as a delegation from the Hunter arrived at his Hornsby electorate office to present a 55,000 signature petition that calls on him to push for the rejection of the project.
"My message to them (the protesters) is I'm focused on the future. I'm focused on the industries of tomorrow like hydrogen and green steel and green ammonia," Mr Kean said in response to a question about the petition.
"If the Federal Government wants to invest in the industries of the past, good luck to them. I'm not going to knock back half a billion dollars worth of Commonwealth funding.
NSW Treasurer Matt Kean
"If the Federal Government wants to invest in the industries of the past, good luck to them. I'm not going to knock back half a billion dollars worth of Commonwealth funding.
"What I'm focused on is the policies that are going to set us up for the future - creating jobs and creating opportunities and driving prosperity in regions like the Hunter."
The $600million, 660meagwatt gas peaker is yet to receive final State Government planning approval.
However, the project's proponent, Snow Hydro, has already placed an order for the peaker's two gas turbines with Mitsubishi Power.
It hopes to start construction at the Kurri site in the new year.
Gas Free Hunter Alliance co-coordinator Carly Phillips said many people had concerns about the gas peaker's environmental impact.
"The building of any new gas infrastructure is entirely incompatible with Minister Kean's targets of reducing carbon emissions in NSW by 50 per cent by 2030, nevermind the fact that very few local jobs would be created," Ms Phillips said.
"We know that the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has more than 19 large-scale battery projects on their desks at the moment. Clean alternative technologies exist and need to be prioritised, not gas fired dinosaurs."
"As Minister Kean himself has said, "If you are going to get to net zero emissions by 2050, you need to be out of fossil fuels by the mid 2030s."
