The federal government has officially called off the search for an administrator to run its long-promised national solar recycling pilot, after a complaint about the settings of the procurement process brought it to a grinding halt nearly six months ago.
The Albanese government in January announced plans to run a $24.7 million PV recycling pilot program that would establish up to 100 collection sites across the country to deal with the increasingly urgent challenge of dealing with discarded rooftop solar panels, and ultimately household batteries.
The pilot, which aims to collect and recycle up to 250,000 panels over a 12-to-18-month period starting – and had intended to start by July – is designed to test the feasibility of collection, re-use and recycling of solar panels from a range of sources, to inform the creation of a national stewardship scheme.
In March, the government launched a procurement process to appoint a suitable partner to “arrange, manage, deliver, and report” on the National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot, but by mid-June, that process was suspended while the complaint was addressed.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) confirmed the latest twist to the saga on Thursday, after earlier issuing a public interest certificate on an obscure government website, and said it was now considering what to do with the scheme as a whole.
“Following consideration of changes in the industry since the release of the [approach to market], a decision was made to cancel the procurement without the award of a contract,” the update on the pilot website says.
“The Government is now considering next steps for the National Solar Panel Recycling Pilot.”
The update brings little relief to an industry that is ready and waiting to get to the increasingly urgent task of managing Australia’s growing piles of solar waste – and using them as a basis for a potentially resource-rich circular economy.
It also sheds no light on exactly why the procurement process was derailed so quickly and easily – and to what end. DCCEEW has been tight-lipped on the details of the complaint – and complainant – and on its progress in dealing with both, until now revealing only that the matter was with lawyers.
Last month, Renew Economy was approached by a representative of the person who allegedly laid the complaint and interviewed that person on October 27, but was subsequently threatened with legal action if details of the interview were published.
The latest movement may be welcome news to some business owners in the solar recycling industry who have detailed their growing financial struggles, but there are fears that investors will be even more jittery with the cancellation of the procurement process.
Suzanne Toumbourou, chief of the Australian Centre of Recycling, calls the outcome “a pretty shocking development”.
“This brings more questions than the answers we have been hoping for,” she told Renew Economy.
“You would have hoped that when this was issued a pathway would have been announced at the same time.
“With still absolutely no clarity about next steps, and big risks for the recyclers who have invested in this space, we’re desperate to get this process back on track ASAP.”
Toumbourou warns that the government will further undermine the sector if it redesigns the tender.
“We had understood there was a course of action that would be undertaken. This level of uncertainty is profoundly harmful to the sector and it needs to be clarified and resolved as soon as possible,” she says.
In a statement emailed to Renew Economy, federal environment minister Murray Watt said he was aware that DCCEEW had been investigating a complaint, supported by independent legal advice from the Australian Government Solicitor.
“A delegate within the department determined that there were no breaches of the relevant Commonwealth Procurement Rules for the purpose of the complaint,” Watt said.
“Despite this, the Department has decided to cancel the procurement process for the pilot, effectively immediately.
“Consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, I have not been involved in the decisions to issue a Public Interest Certificate or cancel the procurement.
“The Albanese Government remains committed to delivering a national solar recycling pilot,” Watt said.
“I have asked my Department to provide me urgent advice on the next steps, considering recent developments and work already underway across Australia for solar panel recycling.”
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Rachel Williamson
Rachel Williamson is a science and business journalist, who focuses on climate change-related health and environmental issues.
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