NSW gives green light to a green hydrogen future
The NSW government will incentivise the production of green hydrogen as a fossil fuel replacement in a nation-leading policy that is forecast to help significantly decarbonise the economy and position the state as a global exporter of the energy source.
Carbon tax the one thing Aussies won’t cop in climate battle
Australians may have changed their tune on the need for a net-zero target but they will not cop a return to a carbon tax, Energy Minister Angus Taylor says.
Australia ‘at risk’ from global energy crunch
Australia faces pressure on gas prices as a global crunch spreads to the nation’s energy sector in a move that could further strain manufacturers and heavy industry, top industry executives have warned.
TransGrid predicts early coal closures
Australia’s fleet of coal-fired power stations face early closure due to rampant growth in renewables in a fast-paced move that piles pressure on achieving an orderly transition to clean energy, a blueprint by transmission giant TransGrid shows.
NSW to ditch coal power by 2040 with final plant to close early
The final NSW coal power plant will be shut by 2040 at the latest after EnergyAustralia’s decision to bring forward the closure date of its Mt Piper facility by at least two years in a bid to hit new green climate targets.
NSW aims to cut emissions in half by 2030 with $37 billion clean energy surge
The NSW Coalition government has dramatically increased its emissions reduction targets for 2030, setting a new goal of a 50 cut from 2005 levels as part of plans to be a “renewable energy superpower” and attract more than $37 billion in clean energy investment by the end of the decade.
The energy crisis wreaking havoc across the globe
The UK’s chaotic fuel crisis has a number of home-grown elements but underlying them is an increasingly global energy crunch.
AEMO installs early warning system for surplus solar and rooftop PV shutdowns
The Australian Energy Market Operator says it has developed a new early warning system to give advance notice that there could be too much rooftop solar in the grid and that some installations may need to be shutdown.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s clean energy export plan
Scott Morrison is preparing an integrated climate change plan to more swiftly transition Australia’s energy exports from fossil fuels towards new low emissions technologies and cleaner energy sources to avoid the nation being left behind as the world moves towards a net zero future.
Why Australia is a bigger carbon pariah than we think
The Glasgow summit on climate change is looming, and we continue to see Australia pretending to be a small emitter of carbon dioxide on the global stage.
Rooftop solar sends minimum demand to record low in coal dependent NSW
Another spring day, another milestone in the transition of Australia’s electricity grid.
Star of the South’s giant wind farm to power 20pc of Victoria
The developers of the $10bn Star of the South wind farm off Victoria’s Gippsland coast plan to supply 20 per cent of the state’s electricity needs once the giant Yallourn coal plant closes, providing a major source of renewable energy as the grid moves away from coal.
Australia’s hidden carbon market: New options allow companies to out-bid government
The federal government could cease being the primary buyer of Australian sourced carbon offsets, content to allow a surge in voluntary corporate pledges to carbon neutrality to do the heavy lifting of cutting Australia’s emissions.
NSW can end its coal power by 2030: Kean
NSW can stop using coal power by 2030 and meet a UN deadline for greater action on climate change, the state’s energy minister Matt Kean said.
AEMO’s new reliability forecasts give lie to Taylor’s Coalkeeper campaign
The Australian Energy Market Operator has forecast a vastly improved outlook for reliability over the next five years, and suggested that the biggest single risk is a major weather event – namely flooding – to the Yallourn brown coal generator in Victoria.
Renewable energy domination on the way: AEMO
An ambitious plan to have Australia’s entire power grid run from renewables for short bursts remains on track, with solar energy continuing to eat into the dominance of coal, the Australian Energy Market Operator says.
Ampol runs the ruler over Meridian’s renewable assets
The auction for Meridian Energy’s Australian renewable energy business could be about to get more interesting, with suggestions in the market that fuel retailer Ampol may be taking a look.
Power station flooding a summer energy risk for Victoria
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, the biggest cloud hanging over reliable energy this summer is the potential unavailability of the Yallourn power station due to flooding.
Snowy Hydro wants transmission fast-tracked
Snowy Hydro has called for transmission to be fast-tracked to ensure generation from its Snowy 2.0 expansion can supply the power market and says finetuning the ¬details of a proposed payment mechanism being used to extend the life of coal and gas generators will be critical to its success.
PowAR targets backed-up renewables after $3bn Tilt deal
The AGL Energy-backed Powering Australian Renewables consortium will offer “firmed” clean energy supplies to industrial customers after completing its $3bn Tilt Renewables takeover even as the group warned that controversial energy reforms may derail investment in the sector.
Victoria greenlights six grid upgrades to act as wind and solar shock absorbers
The Victorian government will proceed with six key grid upgrade projects – boosting the capacity of the state’s networks to transport supplies of wind and solar – as it readies for a surge in investment across planned renewable energy zones.
Geelong’s Tesla Big Battery fire burns over weekend
A fire at French renewable energy giant Neoen’s Victorian Big Battery at Geelong continued to burn into Sunday, with fire crews awaiting experts from Tesla to assist in opening the Megapack battery that first caught ablaze.
Energy companies rush to prepare for five-minute settlements
Australian energy retailers are rushing to prepare for the introduction of five-minute settlements for the wholesale electricity market which comes into effect on October 1.
ESB’s capacity payments for coal and gas may cost $3.2 billion a year. Guess who pays
The Energy Security Board’s recommended capacity payments for electricity generators will benefit polluting fossil fuel-based electricity generation over renewables.
Queensland grid needs to double in size for zero emissions, CleanCo says
Queensland’s electricity grid will need to double in size to meet the growing need for zero emissions energy, according to the head of the state government’s leading clean energy utility.
Gas generation slumps in first half of 2021, as wind and solar continue to shine
Renewables have outshone gas generators during the first half of 2021, with the fossil fuel continuing to play a diminishing role in Australia’s electricity markets as lower cost wind and solar meet an increasing share of our energy needs.
Corporate and investor activity driving prices higher in Australian carbon market
The Australian carbon spot price continues to break new ground on an almost weekly basis, with Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) spot price assessment growing 5.5% to $21.10/t over the past fortnight. The spot price has now grown 28% year-to-date, from $16.52/t on 1 Jan-21.
Green manufacturing hubs in mining regions could add $30bn to the economy, new report says
Green-powered industrial hubs in Gladstone and the Hunter Valley could add $13bn to the nation’s economy and create 45,000 jobs, new economic analysis claims.
Longford disruption ups pressure on east coast gas as prices spike
The biggest domestic gas production plant on the east coast suffered another disruption to production over the weekend, triggering a fresh spike in prices and increasing nervousness about supply security in the southern states for the rest of the winter.
Energy giants tipped to gain as Asia’s LNG demand heats up
Australia’s big natural gas exporters are poised to cash in on the strong demand across northern Asia that has propelled the prices of the fossil fuel out of their COVID slump.
Transgrid’s big battery to stand on own two feet
TransGrid has unveiled plans for a large battery to be built in western Melbourne without any call on government funding, demonstrating a turning point in the rapidly developing market for grid-scale energy storage.
ACT gas to electricity transition to challenge Canberrans, ARENA says
The ACT will become the first jurisdiction to face significant challenges in transitioning away from gas to electricity due to its colder climate, the federal government's renewable energy agency has said.
Japan giant signs deal for 30 Australian solar farms with battery and hydrogen storage
Japanese industrial giant Marubeni Corp has signed a landmark deal with Australian investor Providence Asset Group for the development of 30 community-based solar farms which will combine battery and hydrogen storage.
Manufacturers raise the alarm over gas price surge
Manufacturers are sounding the alarm as east coast gas prices surge to levels not seen since 2016, thanks to cold winter weather and gas having to be diverted to generate electricity after the breakdown of coal-fired generators.
Small retailers welcome investigation into Snowy gas plant bidding practices
Small electricity retailers have welcomed confirmation that competition regulators will investigate potentially uncompetitive bidding behaviour by gas generators that saw wholesale electricity prices spike and forced an aluminium smelter to cut production.
Solar tax debate futile unless we tackle the “original sin” of price regulation
When it comes to energy market regulation, few proposals elicit the type of reaction seen in response to the suggestion that networks should be allowed to charge customers for the solar power they export into the grid.
Yallourn stuck on quarter capacity as scramble continues to save coal mine
EnergyAustralia’s Yallourn coal-fired power station continues to operate at a quarter capacity, with no clear decision yet on how to fend off the threat of flooding at the neighbouring brown coal mine that feeds the plant.
Morrison ministers lay groundwork for nuclear energy election plan
The option of taking a proposal for nuclear power in Australia to the next election has been considered in cabinet-level discussions as pressure grows within the Morrison government to prepare for a nuclear energy industry.
Regulator puts power, gas suppliers on notice
The Australian Energy Regulator has put both traditional electricity and gas suppliers and renewables generators on notice that they are risking heavy penalties for actions that risk undermining the stability of the fast-transitioning energy sector.
AGL fails in court bid to stop Greenpeace from using its logo in climate campaign
AGL Energy has failed in a court bid to stop Greenpeace using its logo in a scathing campaign labelling the electricity giant “Australia’s biggest climate polluter”.
NSW launches $50m grant program for pumped hydro projects
The NSW government has launched a $50 million Pumped Hydro Recoverable Grants Program, as it looks to add as much as 3,000MW of new long-term dispatchable storage capacity.
Central Queensland hydrogen plant site secured but feasibility study forthcoming
The State Government has secured a 236-hectare site at Aldoga, west of Gladstone, for a three-gigawatt hydrogen plant expected to supply domestic users by 2026 and international users by 2030.
Callide outage feeds 60pc power price surge
Last month’s explosion at Queensland’s Callide power station and gains in gas prices have given a huge boost to depressed wholesale power prices and fuelled suspicions among some industrial users that generators are taking advantage to reap super profits.
Tesla to buy more than $1 bln of Australian battery minerals a year
Tesla (TSLA.O) said it expects to spend more than $1 billion a year on battery raw materials from Australia given the country's reliable mining industry and responsible production practices.
Angus Taylor signals end to ad hoc energy intervention
The Morrison government has promised an end to ad hoc energy market intervention in a bid to spur investment in on-demand generation amid a plan by pipeline giant Jemena to pursue a renewable gas target to boost the use of fuels including hydrogen.
Energy retailer asks ACCC to probe possible “market gaming” in NSW
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has been asked to investigate potential market gaming in the NSW electricity market over the last week, where prices have repeatedly jumped to the market cap despite no big spikes in demand or supply problems.
Shell and Edify in landmark big battery storage deal in NSW
Shell Energy and Edify Energy are to build big 100MW, two hour battery storage facility in the Riverina region of NSW in a landmark electricity supply agreement with the state government.
Snowy Hydro bosses defend $600m gas plant as key to avoid blackouts
Commonwealth-owned energy company Snowy Hydro has defended the federal government’s $600 million investment in a gas-fired power plant, declaring it may prove vital in preventing blackouts and replace capacity lost when AGL closes its Liddell power plant.