The Morrison government has announced another of its signature energy deal packages with a Coalition-run state, this time South Australia. Following on from last year’s NSW deal, the package is a similar mix of funding announcements for electricity infrastructure, hydrogen pilots and aspirational gas production targets. The so-called Energy and Emissions Reduction Agreement is worth …
The Grattan institute’s latest report Go For Net Zero, attempts to find a middle path between competing visions of the future electricity sector. On the one hand are certain Coalition politicians, who still believe that because Australia is largely powered by coal today, it must be best to keep powering it with coal into the …
The ACT Government has been boasting for years about its renewables credentials, describing itself as “a nation-leader” in renewable energy, and by others as the first major jurisdiction in the world to move to 100 per cent renewable energy. The ACT legislated a net 100 per cent renewable energy target in 2016, committing to purchase …
The latest Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO) for eastern Australia indicates sufficient gas to meet demand provided LNG imports can commence by winter of 2023. This is when existing production from Longford in Victoria (which takes gas from several offshore fields) takes a nosedive. Even then shortages will emerge by around 2026 unless there is additional …
Rumours are rife that Australia’s largest electricity company AGL is about to break up with itself. Next Tuesday AGL CEO Brett Redman is expected to announce a green re-invention of the company, selling off or de-merging some of its highest emissions coal generators to re-focus the company on the rapid decarbonisation anticipated over the next …
The South Australian Labor Party has announced its first major policy in the run up to the next state election. It is going to build a giant electrolyser and next door to it a power station that will run on hydrogen. It will also build a big tank to store the hydrogen in liquified form …
New rules allow the market operator AEMO to remotely disconnect rooftop solar systems when they deem it necessary to preserve system security. AEMO wielded this power for the first time last weekend, when a sunny day coupled with moderate demand drove SA demand to a dangerously low level. Low demand is a problem because it …
Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest is clearly excited about hydrogen. The Fortescue Metals Chair has been splashing his hydrogen ambitions across the Australian media for most of 2021, re-packaging his plans to build the worlds biggest green steel supplier and the worlds biggest renewables and hydrogen based electricity utility. The numbers being thrown by Forrest are staggering: …
Observers of Australia’s National Electricity Market (NEM) would be forgiven for thinking the era of high prices has left us for the time being (at least until the next coal plant closes). A minor dampening of demand from COVID and a more significant one from a mild summer has coincided with growing renewables on our …
South Australia: take a ride on the electricity price roller coaster Read More »
