19 July 2024

CLIMATE POLITICS

Guarantee of Origin scheme fast-tracked (Energy Magazine):  The Federal Government has announced that it will fast-track the Guarantee of Origin scheme for it to commence operation in the second half of 2025.  As part of the $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia program, the Guarantee of Origin scheme is expected to provide the emissions accounting backbone to support the development of Australia’s green industries.  Once developed, the scheme will issue digital certificates that allow producers, exporters and users to prove where a product was made, and the emissions associated with its production and transport.  

AEMO chief warns no chance of nuclear replacing ageing coal plants (Financial Review):  Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s plan to build seven nuclear reactors would take too long to replace ageing coal generators, the chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator has warned, as he backed gas as the grid’s “ultimate backstop”.  “Even on the most optimistic outlook, nuclear power won’t be ready in time for the exit of Australia’s coal-fired power stations,” AEMO’s Daniel Westerman said on Tuesday.  “The imperative to replace that retiring coal generation is with us now.”

Don’t restart energy wars, business and green groups warn (Financial Review):  A coalition of business and environment groups has urged federal and state governments to resist any return to Australia’s bitter energy wars, stressing credible and consistent policy is needed for a strong national economy.  Ahead of federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen convening talks with state and territory counterparts on Friday, the Property Council of Australia, the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Industry Group, among others, warned a solid energy framework was essential to attracting finance at the lowest cost of capital.

No room for nuclear power, unless the Coalition switches off your solar (The Conversation):  Before renewables came along, coal-fired power stations pumped out electricity (and carbon emissions) 24 hours a day.  But now, this type of “always on” baseload power is no longer necessary or commercially viable.  This is one of many reasons why the Coalition’s proposed nuclear strategy is flawed.  Even if nuclear power was cheap, which it isn’t, it would have to be the least appropriate energy source going around.

CARBON MARKETS

ERAC closes first interim process for ACCU method proposals (Carbon Pulse):  Australia’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC) has wrapped up its first expression of interest (EOI) period seeking new methods to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), with 43 proposals put forward by stakeholders.

AU Market: HIR ACCUs lose market share as sellers wait for better prices, Safeguard demand (Carbon Pulse):  There has been a significant decline in the proportion of human-induced regeneration (HIR) ACCUs transacted in the Australia’s brokered carbon market, according to recent data.

Australia’s New South Wales announces overhaul to state’s biodiversity offsetting scheme (Carbon Pulse):  The New South Wales government has announced major reforms to its biodiversity conservation laws in response to the recent Henry review, including reforming the state’s nature offsets scheme.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Andrew Forrest concedes he won’t meet green hydrogen targets, but still focused on “real zero” (Renew Economy):  Iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest has conceded for the first time that his company Fortescue Metals and its new energy division will fall short of its aim to produce `15 million tonnes a year of green hydrogen by 2030, although he insists that his iron ore operations will still reach “real zero” emissions by the same year.  Forrest’s concession came in a series of media interviews after the company announced savage job cuts of 700 people across its operations late on Wednesday.  “We are not going to swim against the tide,” he told the AFR.

Port of Melbourne signs PPA (Energy Magazine):  Port of Melbourne will obtain more than 60 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources such as solar and wind under a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Iberdrola Australia.  The agreement commenced on 1 July 2024 and contributes to the Port’s target of achieving net zero emission for Scope 1 and 2 port operations by 2030, in support of the Victorian Government’s commitment to net zero by 2050.

Amazon hits 100% renewables “moment” seven years ahead of schedule (Renew Economy):  Global online retail and cloud computing giant Amazon says it has achieved a “moment in time” where all of the electricity consumed across the company’s global operations has been matched with 100 per cent renewable energy.  Amazon set a goal in 2019 to match all of the electricity consumed across its global operations with 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030 – including data centres, corporate buildings, grocery stores, and fulfilment centres.

AustralianSuper accused of greenwashing by investing funds from ethical option in coal, oil and gas industries (ABC News):  While AustralianSuper's Socially Aware option excludes investments in shares and bonds issued by fossil fuel companies, it has no restrictions on other types of assets like property, infrastructure projects and direct loans to businesses.  That means it can enter into private loan agreements with coal, oil and gas companies without technically breaching its own policies or promises to members.

Big banks go cool on coal and gas but fall well short on climate funding: report (Renew Economy):  Australia’s big four banks did not directly finance any new or expanded coal or gas projects last year but are still accused of failing to meet their own climate targets.  Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, NAB and Westpac loaned $3.6 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2023, taking their overall tally to $61 billion since the Paris climate agreement was reached in 2016.

Big ag uses distract, delay, and derail tactics to avoid climate action, undermine emissions impact -think tank (Carbon Pulse):  The world’s 22 largest meat and dairy corporations are masters of distraction and denial when it comes to tackling their climate footprint, with a heavy reliance on offsets to meet net zero plans and efforts to block emissions regulation, alongside downplaying methane’s true climate impact, according to a new report.

GREEN PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

First stage of Australia’s biggest battery project energised to start flattening solar duck (Renew Economy):  The first stage of what will be Australia’s biggest battery project has been energised – little more than a year after securing its development contract – and will soon be in operation to help flatten the growing solar duck in Western Australia’s main grid.  The Collie battery is being built by Neoen in two stages, including a 219 MW/877 MWh first stage that was among the first winners of special contracts issued last year to soak up rooftop solar in the middle of the day and time shift it to the evening peak.

Rio works with traditional owners on Pilbara solar project (PV Magazine):  Mining giant Rio Tinto plans to pursue the development of an 80 MW solar farm on Ngarluma country, near Karratha, to supply renewable energy to the company’s iron ore operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.  Rio said the solar farm could displace up to 11% of gas currently used for generation across its 17 integrated mining operations in the Pilbara and has the potential to reduce the miner’s emissions by up to 120 kiloton carbon dioxide emissions per year once complete.

Enel Green Power buys 1 GW Tallawang hybrid solar and battery project (PV Magazine):  Enel Green Power Australia (EGPA), a joint venture between Italy-headquartered Enel Green Power and Japan’s Inpex Corporation, has acquired the proposed 1 GW Tallawang solar-battery energy storage system (BESS) project near Gulgong, New South Wales (NSW) from British-based Renewable Energy Systems (RES).  To comprise a 500 MW solar farm and 500 MW / 1 GWh BESS, both of which are in detailed planning stages, the project is being developed on a site about eight kilometres northwest of Gulgong, in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (CWO REZ).

First free carbon credit calculator launches (Business News):  WA-founded carbon farming project developer Carbon Sync has launched Australia’s first free carbon credit calculator to enable farmers to estimate their potential income through soil carbon farming.  The Mosman Park-based company launched the Soil Carbon Farming Income Calculator as part of its aim to encourage more farmers to adopt soil carbon sequestration methodology to improve soil health and environmental impact, while generating additional income through carbon credits.

More offshore wind projects approved in Vic (Energy Magazine): The Gippsland Offshore Wind Zone will continue to grow, with the Federal Government granting all twelve projects feasibility licences. The first six projects were approved in May 2024, and in a social post on 17 July 2024, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, announced that the remaining six have now also been granted feasibility licenses. Mr Bowen also said that the Gippsland Offshore Wind Zone has the potential to generate 25GW of power – more electricity than the entire state of Victoria generated in 2023. 

Wind farm and big battery planned for coal seam gas hub seeks federal green tick (Renew Economy):  Plans to develop a 400MW wind farm and big battery in Queensland’s Maranoa region has joined the queue for federal environmental assessment, as it seeks the green tick to go ahead on agricultural land pock marked with gas wells. WestWind Energy’s up to 50 turbine Bottle Tree Energy Park won Queensland state planning approval in December last year for construction 16 km northeast of Roma – one of the Sunshine State’s coal seam gas hubs.

Snowy Hydro pushes gas power ambitions with major storage deal (Financial Review):  Snowy Hydro has struck a 25-year deal for the storage of gas, providing a government-backed contract to underpin an expansion of the east coast’s biggest gas storage plant.  The agreement with the Iona gas storage facility in Victoria underscores Canberra’s expectations that the fossil fuel will remain part of the energy mix past 2050.  The plant, near Port Campbell, plays a critical role in keeping gas supply reliable to the east-coast energy market, particularly during periods of high demand.

PPA initiative for NSW councils and businesses (Energy Magazine):  The New South Wales Government has launched a new program to assist businesses and local councils in renewable energy zones (REZs) to secure access to long-term, reliable electricity supplies.  The Energy Corporation of NSW (EnergyCo) has partnered with the Business Renewables Centre Australia (BRC-A) to help businesses understand how they can buy electricity directly from renewable energy generators such as solar and wind farms, and from energy retailers with renewable generation. 

Milestone for NT solar farm (Energy Magazine):  The Northern Territory Government has announced that the SunCable project has been granted environmental approval.  The SunCable project proposes the construction of a 12,000ha large-scale solar farm to deliver renewable energy to Darwin via a high-voltage cable, and to Singapore through a high-voltage undersea cable.  The solar farm will be constructed at Powell Creek Station near Elliot with 800km long high-voltage overhead powerlines from the solar farm to Gunn Point.

WestWind unveils plan for massive 1.5GW wind farm in Sunshine State (Renew Economy):  The originator of the largest onshore wind farm currently being developed in Australia, the 1.3GW Golden Plains project in Victoria, has unveiled plans to go bigger again and build a 1.5GW wind farm in northern Queensland. WestWind Energy says it is preparing planning and environmental applications for the newly announced Cameron Downs Energy Park, proposed for development south of Hughenden in Queensland’s Flinders Shire.

New SA battery storage project approved near Mount Gambier will be three times the size of 'Tesla battery' (ABC News):  The South Australian government has granted planning approval for the largest battery storage project in the state.  Pacific Green says the Limestone Coast Energy Park, which will have a capacity of 1,500 megawatt hours, will significantly strengthen the region’s grid stability, reduce power prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST

Rooftop solar retrofit for low-income housing is key to reap $17 billion benefit (PV Magazine):  An accelerated rollout of rooftop solar and electrification of low-income housing would boost Australia’s economy by $17 billion (USD 11.3 billion), according to a new Deloitte Access Economics report, commissioned by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).  The Powering Progress: Energy Upgrades to Low-income Housing report analysis looks at rooftop solar, electrification and thermal efficiency upgrades for 1.2 million homes over seven years finding construction, indirect employment and household bill savings would generate up to $17 billion in gross domestic product over the lives of the upgrades.

New device for offshore wind site investigations (Energy Magazine):  Engineers at RMIT University have unveiled a new device to make testing seabed soil for offshore wind farms easier and cheaper.  The RMIT University invention launches a probe into the seabed to provide valuable data on what lies beneath.  The testing is normally done by winching or dropping probes, known as penetrometers, from the deck of a support vessel.  Results published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal indicate that the device could be twice as effective in penetrating the seafloor compared to existing lightweight free-fall soil testers, and more cost-effective than heavy-duty probes.

GridBeyond launches new demand flexibility tech to smooth Australia’s “spikey loads” (Renew Economy):  Irish headquartered smart energy company GridBeyond announced on Wednesday the Australian launch of its frequency control ancillary services auto-rebidder which it has designed to meet the needs of the Australian market.  GridBeyond’s FCAS Auto-rebidder integrates the company’s advanced hardware and software solutions and automates the real-time bidding process for dynamic loads in the FCAS market.

Antarctic blast blows wind energy to new highs, smashes records for winter grid demand (Renew Economy):  New South Wales has bid auf wiedersehen to the recent dunkelflaute and notched up an all-time record for wind energy generation, with icy winds taking its contribution to the state’s grid to a high of almost 3GW at one point just after midnight on Monday.  According to Geoff Eldridge from Global Power Energy, the maximum instantaneous contribution of wind power in NSW reached a peak of 2,293.5 MW at 12:15am Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 2,270.8 MW (an increase of 22.7 MW) that was around half an hour earlier at 23:45 on Monday night.

What happens to wind farms in Victoria when turbines reach the end of their lives? (ABC News):  What happens to wind turbines when they reach their use-by date?  It's a question that has become more pertinent as Victoria's first wind farms approach the end of their 20-to-30-year life span.  State government figures show there are 41 wind farms and about 2,500 turbines in Victoria.  Among the oldest sites is Codrington in south-west Victoria.  It opened in 2001 as Australia's first commercial wind farm.

Mingyang debuts two-headed wind turbine on floating offshore platform (Renew Economy):  Chinese wind turbine manufacturer Mingyang Smart Energy has completed construction of a twin-rotor floating wind turbine platform dubbed OceanX, which features two turbines on a V-shaped platform with a total capacity of 16.6GW.  Mingyang announced the milestone on its English-language LinkedIn page, describing OceanX as “the world’s largest single-capacity floating wind turbine platform”.

Sign up, save money: Councils and business given tools to negotiate contracts in renewable zones (Renew Economy):  The NSW government agency EnergyCo is trying to get more councils and businesses off coal power and into funding renewables, with the launch of a new education campaign targeting three key renewable energy zones (REZ).  The goal of the program is to advise councils and businesses on how to secure off take deals directly with wind and solar projects, helping to deliver savings and – most likely – smoothing the way for new projects to be built in the local region.