The federal government has long promised that renewables will bring prices down, notwithstanding the recent period of global inflation – and today there is the first evidence that prices may doing just that. Today’s release of the draft Default Market Offer (DMO) shows the retail energy bill benchmark stabilising and trending downwards, according to Climate…
The federal government is has announced major backing for the Kathleen Valley Lithium Project in Western Australia which will produce lithium concentrate from later this year. It is expected to create around 900 jobs during construction and around 450 ongoing operational jobs. With $110 million from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and $120 million…
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded a $9.4 million grant to Aurizon to support the development and trial of a retrofitted 1.8 megawatt-hour battery-electric tender (BET) to power diesel-electric locomotive. According to a statement from energy minister Chris Bowen on Friday, the country’s largest rail freight hauler will partner with Alta Battery Technology,…
The federal government has declared a new offshore wind zone for electricity generation in the Southern Ocean off western Victoria with trade unions immediately calling for stronger local content rules. This, the third officially declared offshore wind zone in the country, will generate up to 2.8 GW of offshore wind energy, a fact welcomed by…
Australia’s emissions were lower in the September 2023 quarter than the same period in 2022, according to the quarterly update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory released today. Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 25.4 percent below June 2005 levels, the base year for Australia’s targets under the Paris Agreement. Total emissions were at 459.7…
The federal and Western Australian governments have finalised a $140 million agreement to support construction of a hydrogen hub in the Pilbara in Western Australia. The Pilbara Hydrogen Hub is planned as a major centre for hydrogen production and export, with the potential to become an international gateway to Australian-made green steel and iron. The…
The decarbonisation of Australia’s mining and metals refining sector is picking up pace with BHP’s giant Olympic Dam copper mine and metals refinery in South Australia turning to solar power and battery energy storage. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is investing $99 million to boost to Neoen’s Goyder wind farm – which will provide electricity…
The federal government has announced a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard for Australia which it claims will ultimately save new car buyers $1,000 a year in fuel bills – and business users even more. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement that the United States has had a similar policy in place…
The federal government has announced $200 million in grant funding through the first round of the Powering the Regions Fund (PRF), awarded to upgrade steelmaking at BlueScope’s Port Kembla and Liberty Steel’s Whyalla sites. In a statement on Wednesday, the two grants were described as: $136.8 million to assist BlueScope with the reline and upgrade…
The federal government has announced “up to $70 million” in funding to support development of the Townsville Region Hydrogen Hub in Queensland, with construction expected to be complete in 2026. In a statement on Tuesday, energy minister Chris Bowen said that “with its port, expertise in exports and access to Queensland’s abundant solar resources” the…