Albanese government announces $1.2 billion critical minerals strategic reserve

The federal government announced plans on Thursday to establish a Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve with an initial investment of $1.2 billion, including a $1 billion increase to the existing Critical Minerals Facility. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the initiative would boost Australia’s economic resilience and leverage the country’s abundant resources of critical minerals and rare…

Australia and India join forces on new tech research institute

Swinburne University of Technology and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) launched a joint research institute to tackle global technology challenges, according to an announcement from the universities. The Swinburne-IITH Manufacturing, Materials, Energy and Communication Technologies (SIMMECT) Joint Research Institute will focus on three primary areas: advanced materials and manufacturing, energy transition solutions, and…

Our electricity workforce must double to hit the 2030 renewables target. Energy storage jobs will soon overtake those in coal and gas

By Jay Rutovitz, University of Technology Sydney; Chris Briggs, University of Technology Sydney, and Elianor Gerrard, University of Technology Sydney The electricity workforce will need to double in five years to achieve Australia’s 2030 renewable energy target, our new report finds. More than 80% of these jobs will be in renewables. Jobs in energy storage…

Typhoon damage in China highlights importance of standards in wind tower manufacturing: Weld Australia

Industry body Weld Australia has cited the damage caused by Super Typhoon Yagi earlier this month in China in its push for quality control and local sourcing for Australian wind farms. Yagi hit the Philippines, then China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Weld Australia said that the more than 300 kilometre-per-hour winds after making Yagi made…