Latest
‘Every country is worried about what’s happening in the US’
ESG champion David Atkin runs a global organisation with 5300 signatories that manage a total of $US121 trillion – about half of global funds under management.
- Ben Potter
Brookfield lands Origin Plan B with $10b Neoen bid
The French utility’s pipeline makes it the largest owner of renewable energy in Australia, six months after Origin dismissed the Canadian investment group.
- Ben Potter
- Opinion
- Carbon pricing
Taxpayers are poorer without a carbon tax
Instead of imposing a carbon levy on polluters to fund big personal income tax cuts, governments are gambling taxpayer money on climate and energy projects.
- John Kehoe
Why microwaves are the hottest new thing in industrial heat
Microwave ovens are great at heating up last night’s leftovers, but can the technology offer a low-carbon source of industrial heat for big industries such as steel?
- Peter Ker and Lap Phan
Offshore wind plan in ‘Labor limbo’ as Port of Hastings stalls
The state opposition claims Victoria’s offshore wind policy is in “disarray” after Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio could not guarantee a key terminal would proceed.
- Gus McCubbing
May
Victoria needs new gas after all, state Labor admits
In March, Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the state had enough electricity to cover winter shortfalls. On Thursday, she conceded that it needed new gas supplies.
- Gus McCubbing
- Opinion
- Energy
Why NSW still needs coal-fired power
The total disarray of energy transition plans is compounded by the failure of NSW and Victoria to allow any further development of gas fields.
- Jennifer Hewett
Fears Eraring subsidies will need to be extended
Keeping the country’s biggest coal-fired power station open until 2027 has raised questions about whether it will be needed to keep the lights on into the 2030s.
- Updated
- Ben Potter and Elouise Fowler
- Opinion
- Renewables
With patient capital, Australia could make solar panels
This country can make good quality panels. The doubts lie with Australian governments’ and capital markets’ willingness to allocate the billions of dollars, year after year.
- Tristan Edis
Florence, the Snowy 2.0 machine, is stuck again
Snowy Hydro does not know how long it will take to restart the Florence boring machine on its $12 billion Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro scheme after it stopped tunnelling.
- Jenny Wiggins
Subsidy wars: Carbon capture cost adds up for fertiliser maker
Carbon capture and storage would add 50 per cent to the cost of producing ammonia in the Pilbara, making it uneconomic without further government support.
- Ben Potter
Woodside eyes data centres to justify hydrogen bet
Woodside is looking to data centres’ hunger for green power as a potential solution to the problem of finding customers willing to justify the oil and gas giant’s commercial-scale bet on green hydrogen.
- Ben Potter
Lithium miners plead ‘foreign entity’ case to US over China links
Lithium miners like Mineral Resources reckon it would be counter-intuitive for their Australian mines to be labelled ‘foreign entities of concern’ by the US.
- Updated
- Peter Ker
Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue is now a software firm as well
Fortescue has signed a deal to sell software to Jaguar Land Rover’s electric vehicles, as the iron ore giant’s energy arm branches out in new directions.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Risk of summer blackouts in NSW, Victoria rises
Power users face an increased risk of summer shortages in NSW and Victoria due to delays in transmission lines and renewable projects, and large users may need to switch off plants to avoid blackouts.
- Ben Potter
Vic Labor playing ‘ideological games’ on gas, says industry
Gas, business and union figures have slammed Victorian Labor’s energy stance after a state conference voted against federal Labor’s Future Gas Strategy.
- Gus McCubbing
Victorian Labor votes to oppose Future Gas Strategy
The state branch of the party chastised the strategy at its annual conference, labelling it “incompatible” with Australia’s emissions reduction targets and international obligations.
- Ronald Mizen
Critics say Aussies can’t make cheap solar panels. This start-up says they’re wrong
The brains behind SunDrive say Australia has the material, the best resources, and even national security reasons, for keeping solar panel expertise here.
- Ben Potter
No more buzz – hydrogen is finally trying to get real
At the World Hydrogen Summit this year, vaulting ambition began giving way to pragmatism and a paring back of priorities.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Can Australia become a green energy superpower? Five charts that say yes
The Albanese government is taking a big punt on its signature Future Made in Australia policy, betting $24.3 billion over 10 years in Tuesday’s budget – these charts show why.
- Ronald Mizen
Hydrogen credit could blow its $6.7b budget
Sunshine Hydro chairman Michael Myer says international investment could mean the cost of the budget measure blows out, but is still worth the benefits.
- Ben Potter
The game changer on battery-making is still to come
The founder of Australia’s only lithium-ion battery-maker says a $523 million budget boost will help underwrite a boom in critical minerals.
- Ben Potter
- Updated
- Food
Beef giant’s earnings dip but CEO says there’s ‘strong demand’
The beef giant saw a drop in profits as rivals pushed more meat onto the market and costs rose.
- Updated
- Liam Walsh
‘Back in the game’: Hydrogen sector celebrates from afar
Almost 50 Australian companies were in Rotterdam for the World Hydrogen Summit. When news of the budget bonanza came through, the reaction was ecstatic.
- Updated
- Hans van Leeuwen
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Chalmers’ latest effort basks in a green glow
Sit back and behold Jim Chalmers’ big green Australian budget. But making forecasts is easy, and will voters buy the story?
- Andrew Clark