1 November 2024

CLIMATE POLITICS

Minister’s plan to scrap emissions plans on WA’s biggest polluting projects (WA Today): WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby will scrap at least 21 existing and under-appeal greenhouse gas management plans devised by the Environmental Protection Authority as the state prepares to handball CO? reduction to the Commonwealth. However, Whitby’s ability to do this may not be a simple task with one of the state’s top environment and resources law experts suggesting there could be a legal gauntlet to run before the plans can be dumped.

O’Brien backs community incentives for nuclear plants (The Australian): Opposition energy spokesman Ted O'Brien says business leader Ryan Stokes is right in suggesting communities earmarked to host nuclear power plants must be offered lucrative incentives. Mr O'Brien stopped backing Mr Stoke's call for free power to overcome nimbyism in the seven communities Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has nominated as sites for nuclear reactors.

Storm clouds for Qld's clean energy leadership as LNP assumes power (Clean Energy Finance): The QLD state election last week saw the David Crisafulli-led LNP form a majority government. The sunshine state is now at serious risk of being locked into high-emission fossil fuels to power the state, derailing the crowding-in of tens of billions of renewable energy and green industry capital unlocked by the critical new transmission and grid firming investments made under the previous government. The Government’s last state budget comprised $26bn of strategic public investment into renewables and enabling energy transition infrastructure over the coming four years, the largest state investment package to-date in Australia. The measures were a major component to the $62bn transformational Energy and Jobs Plan, with the budget allocating $16.5bn into new QLD-owned renewables, and $8.5bn in new transmission infrastructure, including CopperString 2032.

Funding to progress NSW clean energy training (Energy Magazine): The Federal and New South Wales Governments are together investing more than $60 million over five years to establish the Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence to deliver the skilled workforce required for Australia’s renewable energy transition. Both governments are investing $28.1 million, with a further $5.27 million in federal funding to support the centre, which will be located at TAFE NSW’s Tighes Hill campus in Newcastle.

$225b Future Fund hunts for green-energy investments (Australian Financial Review): Future Fund chairman Greg Combet has flagged that the $225 billion government fund is hunting for investments linked to the green-energy transition to help Australia reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mr Combet, a former climate change minister in the Rudd-Gillard Labor government, is seeking to align the sovereign wealth fund with the federal government’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

TransAlta, BHP to shore up power supply to bring end to Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Goldfields blackouts The WA government has sought the help of two multinationals in a bid to halt a series of rolling blackouts impacting the state's mining heartland. Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 600 kilometres east of Perth,?has been struck by repeated blackouts?over?more than a decade, leaving the town's 30,000 residents?increasingly angered.

CARBON MARKETS

Corporations using ‘ineffectual’ carbon offsets are slowing path to ‘real zero’, more than 60 climate scientists say (The Guardian): Carbon offsets used by corporations around the world to lower their reportable greenhouse gas emissions are “ineffectual” and “hindering the energy transition”, according to more than 60 leading climate change scientists. A pledge signed by scientists from nine countries, including the UK, the US and Australia, said the “only path that can prevent further escalation of climate impacts” was “real zero” and not “net zero”.

Individual action on climate was tarred as greenwashing or virtue signalling. But it still has a place (The Conversation): Two decades ago, the fight against climate change was often framed as a personal choice. You might try to reduce your carbon footprint by avoiding flights or change your buying habits to avoid meat or reduce plastic. But this approach lost popularity, as it shifted responsibility from producer to consumer. The carbon footprint, for instance, was famously popularised by oil company BP. In 2008, well-known American climate activist Bill McKibben pointed out the impotence of individual action without collective action.

Spreading crushed rock over farmland can remove CO? from the atmosphere if we do it right (The Conversation): Carbon dioxide (CO?) is naturally removed from the air when it reacts with certain types of rock. We can accelerate this process by crushing suitable rocks and spreading them over agricultural fields. This simple method, known as “enhanced rock weathering”, could vastly increase the rate of CO? removal from the atmosphere. Modelling studies suggest billions of tonnes of CO? might be removed annually if crushed rocks were applied to croplands globally. With current energy-related emissions at 37 billion tonnes a year, this means enhanced weathering could contribute in a big way to reaching net zero emissions. A new industry is rapidly emerging to do just that.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Santos in court over greenwashing claims (Business News): A hearing over Santos' net zero emissions claims has started in the Federal Court, after a national advocacy organisation accused the oil and gas company of greenwashing. The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) alleged Santos engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct over its net zero emissions claims.

Net zero push at risk without Australian critical minerals: King (Australian Financial Review): Australian mining’s adherence to environment, social and governance standards risks making it less competitive, but is necessary if the industry is to receive requisite public support and help deliver net zero emissions by 2050, Resources Minister Madeleine King says. Ms King says while mining has improved its reputation over the past decade, the industry has to keep working at it to counter efforts by the Greens and others to tear it down.

GREEN PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

BP gets green light to convert Kwinana refinery into clean energy hub (WA Today): The state’s planning body has given global energy giant BP the green light to convert its Kwinana refinery into a clean energy hub under a plan worth more than half-a-billion dollars. On Thursday, a development assessment panel voted unanimously to approve the $580 million biorefinery, earmarked for the 250-hectare Kwinana Industrial Area site BP has occupied for almost 70 years.

Kalgoorlie gas upgrade to meet energy demand (Energy Magazine): Origin Energy has unveiled a $2.5 million upgrade to the Kalgoorlie LPG terminal to boost the terminal’s capacity and ensure local communities have a reliable supply of energy as the region continues to grow. Origin said that the terminal has been servicing the region for decades. After the shutdown of the Esperance Gas Distribution Network in 2023, about 400km from the Kalgoorlie LPG terminal, Origin stepped in to help fill the supply gap. By securing new contracts, Origin provided a key alternative for customers in the area needing reliable energy.

Mount Isa copper mines earmarked for gravitational energy storage system (PV Magazine): Wollongong-based energy storage company Green Gravity has started regional studies, mine site concept engineering, and local community engagement in Mount Isa, Queensland, 1,800 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, to prepare deployment of up to 2 GWh of gravitational energy storage, Signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mount Isa City Council, Green Gravity is also working with mine site owner, Switzerland-headquartered global resources company Glencore.

Trucking giant turns to solar and battery storage to accelerate EV shift (PV Magazine): National logistics provider Centurion says it has commenced the installation of a 4.4 MW rooftop solar array and 10.3 MWh battery energy storage system at its Hazelmere depot in east Perth as part of a part of a $29 million project that will also integrate 30 battery electric trucks into its existing fleet. The new off-grid system, that will also include 15 dual-port slow and fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers, will help power the 30 Mercedes-Benz eActros electric trucks that are to operate in the Perth metro area.

First stage of Australia’s biggest battery project switched on, well ahead of schedule (Renew Economy): The first stage of what will be the biggest battery in Australia has been officially switched on, ahead of schedule and less than 18 months after the start of construction, and will now get to work shifting rooftop solar output from the middle of the day to the evening peak. The 219 MW, 877 MWh stage 1 of Neoen’s giant Collie battery in Western Australia is the first instalment of what will be – by the end of next year – the country’s biggest battery installation with a total of 560 MW and 2,240 MWh.

Darwin's Shoal Bay rubbish tip helps provide power to 1,200 houses (ABC News): For the past 20 years, an energy project on the outskirts of Darwin has been quietly generating renewable electricity 24 hours a day. It comes from a huge pile of the city's waste. As organic matter disposed of at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility breaks down, it produces landfill biogas.

ARENA funds new lithium-ion battery tech (Energy Magazine): The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will provide almost $4 million to an Australian technology company to commercialise its new lithium-ion battery anode solution. ARENA said the $11.1 million Silicon Anode Technology for Lithium-Ion Batteries project will span three years and aims to commercialise AnteoTech’s proprietary silicon anode technology, reduce battery storage costs and enable longer driving ranges for EVs.

Pacific Energy delivers 3.8 MW solar farm and BESS to Pilbara iron ore mine site (PV Magazine): Western Australian (WA) remote power specialist Pacific Energy has delivered a 3.8 MW solar array and two battery energy storage systems (BESSs) to Australian mining company Mineral Resources (MinRes) Ken’s Bore mine site, part of the Onslow iron project in the west Pilbara region. The 6,600 solar panel array is estimated to displace approximately 95 terajoules of fossil gas per year and predicted to reduce associated emissions by around 4,990 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST

Court reinstates suspension for rooftop solar certificate trading platform (PV Magazine): The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has confirmed that online trading platform Greenbot has again been suspended from participating in the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) after the Federal Court removed a stay on compliance action. “This means that Greenbot cannot create renewable energy certificates under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme,” the CER said in a statement.

Record renewable growth, AEMO finds (Business News): There has been a record contribution of renewables in Australia with an uptick in solar, wind, and battery generation in the state, a report by the Australian Energy Market Operator shows. AEMO’s quarterly energy dynamics report showed there has been an increase in rooftop solar generation in Western Australia, and higher wind and batteries, in the three months to September.

Neoen told it must sell renewable and battery hubs to allow Brookfield deal (Renew Economy): The Australian competition regulator has confirmed that French renewable and storage developer Neoen will have to sell its Victoria wind, solar, battery and green energy hubs to allow the proposed $11 billion takeover by Brookfield to go through. The deal was announced earlier this year after Brookfield was forced to drop plans for an agreed $20 billion merger with Origin Energy, after several key shareholders of Australia’s biggest utility voted against the deal in an attempt to protect their fossil fuel interests.

Renewable energy companies eyeing off abandoned mines in Queensland (ABC News): Defunct mines in outback Queensland may not be easy on the eye but they are proving to be a good-looking prospect for the renewable energy sector. It is no secret the mining industry significantly contributes to Australia's climate change impact — the industry accounts for almost one third of national CO2 emissions.

NSW battery and VPP incentives target peak electricity demand reductions (PV Magazine): The New South Wales (NSW) government battery incentive scheme has been brought online, on 1 November 2024, to incentivise residents and business owners with rooftop solar installations to invest in battery storage. Launched in May 2024, the incentive is part of the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme (PDRS) which aims to reduce peak electricity demand in NSW by providing financial incentive to reduce energy consumption during high peak hours.