3 May 2024

CLIMATE POLITICS

State government grant to back local manufacture of standalone power systems and wind turbine parts (Renew Economy): Western Australia’s Cook Labor government is to commit $26.4 million to invest in the buildout of a local clean energy manufacturing sector, including another 50 stand alone power systems. The $26.4 million investment will be split between $18.4 million to roll out another 50 locally made standalone power systems (SPS) across regional Western Australia, and another $8 million to support the local manufacturing of wind turbine components.

Architect of ACT’s transition to 100 pct net renewables to head Victoria’s State Electricity Commission (Renew Economy): Victoria’s rebooted State Electricity Commission has a new leader, with the appointment of renewable energy policy and investment champion, and former ACT energy minister Simon Corbell as chair of the renewable energy and electrification focused public utility. State energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio on Tuesday announced the appointment of Corbell to head up the SEC board along with four new board directors – Joycelyn Morton, Anna Skarbek, Jo Benvenuti and Damien Barnes. Work is underway to fill two additional board positions.

Bowen says first battery storage tender is “massively oversubscribed” with 19,000 MW of projects (Renew Economy): The first large scale auction of dispatchable capacity in Australia’s new Capacity Investment Scheme has been 32 times oversubscribed by a massive pipeline of battery storage projects. The auction, launched last December, is seeking 600 megawatts of new dispatchable capacity, with the equivalent of four hours of storage, or 2,400 MWh, in Victoria and South Australia.

CARBON MARKETS

Article 6 Supervisory Body agrees on grievance mechanism procedure in “significant” milestone (Carbon Pulse): The body mandated to shape UN carbon crediting under Article 6 has adopted procedures relating to grievances, notably getting rid of fees for those wanting to make complaints, in what observers have welcomed as a "significant" milestone.

Clean Energy Regulator auditing HIR projects, NGER reports (Carbon Pulse): A compliance update from the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) Thursday said it had begun gateway audits on several human-induced regeneration (HIR) carbon projects, as well as audits of a number of emissions reports under the NGER scheme.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Analyst Saul Kavonic says Woodside Energy should stick to strategy amid investor ESG pressure (The West Australian): Woodside Energy’s share price would tank if the company changes strategy to appease ESG-driven investors after losing a major climate vote last week, MST Marquee analyst Saul Kavonic says. The Perth-based oil and gas producer copped a whopping 58 per cent ‘no’ vote on its climate blueprint at a turbulent Wednesday annual meeting which also saw chair Richard Goyder re-elected with a 16 per cent protest.

Second-largest super fund blacklists thermal coal investments (Australian Financial Review): Superannuation giant Australian Retirement Trust will stop investing in most thermal coal companies from July as part of a plan to hit net zero emissions across its portfolio by 2050. The $280 billion fund has introduced new rules to exclude any company that generates more than 10 per cent of its revenue from the mining and sale of thermal coal, one of the most polluting energy sources.

ASIC sues Magnis Energy over ‘parlous’ battery factory (Australian Financial Review): The corporate watchdog has launched Federal Court action against troubled renewables player Magnis Energy and its executive chairman Frank Poullas over alleged disclosure failures relating to the company’s “flagship” lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission also alleges Magnis and Mr Poullas engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct when they claimed the facility would boost battery production to 10,000 cells per day by the end of 2023, when earlier in the year it was struggling to make 300.

“Simply astounding:” Australian coal mine methane emissions may be twice offical data (Renew Economy): Australia’s coal mine methane emissions are being vastly underreported and are damaging the nation’s credibility on climate change, economist Professor Rod Sims has warned. Australia may be emitting at least twice the level of methane emissions than reported under a national reporting framework, according to results released on Tuesday from a new monitoring tool.

GREEN PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

Neoen’s Collie battery to be Australia’s biggest after winning new contract to flatten solar duck (Renew Economy): French renewable energy and storage developer Neoen is to nearly triple the size of its already giant Collie battery, making it the biggest in the country after winning another contract to help flatten the growing solar duck curve and fill in for coal in Western Australia. The contract win means Neoen will add a 341 MW, 1363 MWh second stage battery to the Collie facility. Its first stage, already under construction, is sized at 219 MW and 877 MWh. Both are to be built with Tesla Megapack batteries, and by contractor UGL.

Batteries to power up warehouse pipeline as big as 40 MCGs (Australian Financial Review): Dexus will install more than $25 million worth of batteries in new warehouses, equal to the size of 40 Melbourne Cricket Grounds, as it looks to future-proof its investment portfolio and help its customers reduce their energy costs and carbon footprints. The installation of a $500,000 to $700,000 commercial grade base battery system (connected to rooftop solar) on all new warehouses is expected to deliver total annual energy savings of more than $4.6 million once more than 1 million square metres of industrial space is delivered over the next few years.

BHP is betting big on a renewable energy future, and it has Anglo American's copper mines in its sights (ABC News): There's a barely concealed hint of danger in the Arizona desert that newcomers ignore at their peril. An arid country, with soaring temperatures in summer and bitterly cold winds in winter, it is seared into the American psyche as the notorious scene of the 1881 shootout at the OK Corral, when Wyatt Earp survived a gunfight that left three men dead.

Latrobe Valley projects to help reduce energy costs (Energy Magazine): The Latrobe Valley Energy and Growth Program (LVEGP) is also designed to help communities to decrease emissions and become more energy resilient. The Victorian Government said communities in the Latrobe Valley are receiving valuable cost-of-living support as they embrace new localised renewable energy projects.

ActewAGL installs new EV fast charger in NSW (Energy Magazine): The new 75kW electric vehicle (EV) DC fast charger, with CCS2 and CHAdeMO plugs, has opened at Bungendore. Providing an additional charging option, whether it be for drivers on their way to and from the South Coast or locals wanting a quick top up while out and about, ActewAGL’s new EV charger is located in the rear carpark of the Bungendore Service Centre on the Kings Highway.

Contract awarded for works on new 2,000 MWh battery in coal centre (Renew Economy): The Western Australian government has announced that a $160 million has been awarded to the listed SCEE Electrical for works at on the Collie big battery being built by the state owned electricity company Synergy. The 500 MW, four hour (2000MWh) battery will be one of the biggest in Australia, and the world, when completed before the end of 2025, although it will pipped for the title by another battery being built by Neoen just a few kilometres down the road.

Six projects named to start feasibility studies for Australia’s first offshore wind farms (Renew Economy): Australia has moved a major step closer to building its first ever offshore wind farm with the first round of long-awaited feasibility licences handed out to projects proposed for development off the coast of Gippsland in Victoria. Six potential offshore wind projects have been awarded feasibility licences by the federal government in the country’s first offshore wind zone, with another six to follow, pending further engagement with Traditional Owners. Altogether, the 12 projects could total 25GW of renewable capacity.

New solar farm and big battery project obtains connection approval in southern Queensland (Renew Economy): The owner of the 300 megawatt (MW) Hopeland solar farm and accompanying big battery project in southern Queensland said it has received connection approval and hopes to move to the next stage of development. The Hopeland solar farm may include a 175 MW, two hour (350 MWh) battery, and will connect to the National Energy Market via Powerlink’s neighbouring 275kV Western Downs substation.

Powercor muscles in on transmission to plug in bigger wind, solar and battery projects – at lower cost (Renew Economy): Electricity distribution company Powercor is seeking to branch into the provision of transmission services on its network patch in Victoria in a move it says will help make new wind and solar farms connections faster and cheaper. Powercor says it does not plan to build new large transmission lines, but wants to obtain a transmission licence that will enable it to provide the other infrastructure that can help it connect bigger wind and solar projects to the grid.

Site for huge battery sold to owners of South Australia’s largest solar farm (Renew Economy): Italian based Enel Green Power, the joint owners of the largest solar farm in South Australia, have bought a neighbouring site that could host a big battery and further the transition of the local community away from the coal plant that once dominated the region. The deal has been struck with Reach Energy, which developed the original Bungala 1 and Bungala 2 solar projects, which they sold to Enel in 2018 and which together make up the biggest solar project in the state at 220 MW, and which were for a long time were the biggest in the country.

OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST

No threat to farm land: just 1,200 square kilometres can fulfil Australia’s solar and wind energy needs (The Conversation): As Australia’s rapid renewable energy rollout continues, so too does debate over land use. Nationals Leader David Littleproud, for example, claimed regional areas had reached “saturation point” and cannot cope with more wind and solar farms and transmission lines. So how much land is needed to fully decarbonise energy in Australia? When we switch completely to solar and wind, do we have the space for all the panels, turbines and power lines?

‘Invisible’ consultants help companies write sustainability reports. Here’s why that’s a problem (The Conversation): Around the world, more and more companies are publishing sustainability reports – public scorecards detailing their impacts on society and the environment. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports outline the positive and negative effects of a company’s activities, and the steps they’re taking in response.

'New energy' apprentice payment broadened to include EV skills and traditional tradies willing to pick up green tools (ABC News): The federal government will offer up to $10,000 payments for motor, electrical and other apprentices willing to learn clean energy skills in their fields, as it reworks a scheme that has struggled to recruit young apprentices. Just over 2,200 "new energy" apprentices signed onto a scheme promised by the federal government before the last election, which allowed for people apprenticing to become EV technicians or other designated priority trades to receive a support payment from the government.