$33 million in grants announced for biopharma, ag chemical projects under supply chain program
Twenty-seven projects have shared in a combined $33 million in grants under round one of the federal government’s Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.
Leigh Creek Energy clears way for urea project
In situ goal gasification developer Leigh Creek Energy has signed an offtake agreement that will allow it to proceed to finance its coal to gas to urea plant at the former Leigh Creek coal field in South Australia. The company’s executives travelled to Korea to sign a heads of agreement with Daelim which plans to…
Grattan Institute claims cheaper gas prices would provide limited impact for manufacturers
The Grattan Institute has questioned how beneficial cheaper gas would be for the manufacturing sector, claiming that only 4,000 – 5,000 jobs on the east coast are in gas-dependent companies, and that the fuel and feedstock represents only 0.5 per cent of the industry’s total input costs.
Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed
Incitec Pivot in big capital raising Fertiliser and explosives business Incitec Pivot has raised $57.7 million in capital from existing shareholders under a share purchase plan. The company, which like many manufacturers is shoring up its balance sheet, previously raised $600 million from an institutional placement. Incited Pivot operates 20 manufacturing plants in the US,…
Queen’s birthday honours go to manufacturing
Manufacturers and researchers involved in the sector have figured in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List which recognised 933 Australians this year. The highest honour of Companion in the general division (AC) was awarded to Belinda Hutchinson (pictured), for eminent service to business, tertiary education, and scientific research. Hutchinson is Chairman of defence manufacturer Thales…
National Covid commission under fire – will it deliver for manufacturing?
The make up of the Prime Minister’s National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) has come under fire for its bias towards gas and mining industries. There are two bureaucrats, Chairman Neville Power is a miner and energy executive, Andrew Liveris hails from Dow which utilises gas, Catherine Tanna is managing director of Energy Australia, and James…
Now is the time for optimism about the future of manufacturing
Comment by Peter Roberts As we digest the news that the federal government has called up industrialist Andrew Liveris to help map out a future for Australian manufacturing, there remains a view prevalent in the community that Australia doesn’t make things. One former colleague on the weekend railed about how manufacturing had been decimated and…
Dyno Nobel tests feasibility of making ammonia with renewables
Explosives manufacturer Dyno Nobel, part of the Incitec Pivot group, will test the feasibility of manufacturing ammonia using renewable energy at its Moranbah site (pictured) near Queensland’s Bowen basin. The company has received a $980,000 grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to pursue the Feasibility of Renewable Green Hydrogen project at its ammonia,…
Australia has plenty of gas, but our bills are ridiculous. The market is broken
Right now, two projects have been proposed to import gas from overseas to supply eastern Australia. This is an absurd prospect. Australia is a resource-rich country, and exports more gas than any other nation. Why then, would we need to ship it in?
value added production has cost advantages for Leigh Creek
Leigh Creek Energy (ASX: LCK) has reported the potential for a low-cost, disruptive technology to improve the viability of fertiliser production from its South Australian coal fields. The company, which has proven large reserves of gas available from in situ gasification, annnounced the results of a study by Thyssenkrupp. Thyssenkrupp, which has developed 14 fertiliser…