ACT Election: Greens go electric, phase out natural gas

Greens leader Shane Rattenbury said phasing out gas, which accounts for 22 per cent of the territory's emissions, was a necessary step to avoid a climate catastrophe.

The announcement said the Greens would invest $20 million towards a program assisting Canberra businesses and households with existing gas connections to switch to electric appliances including heat pumps and reverse-cycle air conditioning.

The Greens said they would stop creating gas connections in new suburbs from 2021 and establish a two-year gas transition program to end infill gas connections from 2023.

They would support the creation of community scale battery storage and micro-grids and the establishment of a branch of government to manage the roll out of power from those micro-grids and batteries.

The announcement also included the development of a 10-year pathway for sustainable planning, encompassing the creation of a sustainable building code and requirements for developers to create zero-emissions building demonstration projects to be eligible for land releases.

"This commitment will accelerate Canberra as the nation's leading sustainable city," Mr Rattenbury said.

"Now is the time for bold government investment in the clean, green energy industries of the future."