ENERGY POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Big business winners in energy plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 22-Nov-17

Modelling conducted by Frontier Economics suggests the federal government’s National Energy Guarantee will deliver large savings for industry and other big users of energy, but only modest savings for households. Modelling of the NEG had been requested by Labor and the state governments, and the release of the report prompted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to urge them to back the NEG. He was supported in his call by a collective of groups and associations, including the Australian Aluminium Council, the ACTU, and the Australian Industry Group.

CORPORATES
FRONTIER ECONOMICS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ALUMINIUM COUNCIL LIMITED, ACTU, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL

ALP’s $200 power bill shock

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Oct-17

Labor has stated that it will seek to have 50 per cent of electricity produced from renewable sources by 2030. It will also seek to reduce carbon emissions by 45 per cent. However, modelling by the Climate Change Authority has concluded that achieving its 50 per cent target would increase the average household’s power bill by $A200 a year, as well as requiring 17,000 megawatts of coal-fired power generation to be taken out of the National Electricity Market. Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has claimed Labor is trying to conceal the cost of its energy policy.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Labor open to a deal on energy

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 19-Oct-17

The Australian Government’s proposed National Energy Guarantee will require the support of the federal Opposition and the Labor-led state governments. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says federal Labor is willing to consider the energy plan when the Government provides more detail regarding the policy. Some business leaders have expressed support for the National Energy Guarantee, while Origin Energy has indicated that its Eraring coal-fired power station could potentially keep operating if the policy is implemented.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED

Strong backing for energy plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 18-Oct-17

The Australian Energy Regulator will be responsible for ensuring that electricity retailers comply with carbon emission reduction targets under the Federal Government’s National Energy Guarantee. The new energy policy also requires electricity retailers to meet reliability standards. Business leaders are generally supportive of the policy, although the Opposition has some concerns about it, while some state governments are highly critical. Former prime minister Tony Abbott maintains that the energy policy should not include an emissions reduction target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, THE AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE LIMITED, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, QUEENSLAND. DEPT OF ENERGY AND WATER SUPPLY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, CLEAN ENERGY COUNCIL LIMITED

Energy plan keeps coal in the mix

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 17-Oct-17

The Federal Government’s energy policy, which has been endorsed by the cabinet, will not include a Clean Energy Target or any other subsidies. The policy will be put to the Coalition’s party room on 17 October, and will require energy retailers to comply with new guidelines regarding reliability of electricity supply and emissions reduction. However, they will be able to determine the proportion of each type of energy they supply in order to fulfil these requirements. The Government argues that its energy plan will result in lower electricity prices than under the CET that was proposed by the Finkel review.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

PM weighs expanding Direct Action

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 13-Oct-17

Australia is meant to achieve certain carbon emission reduction targets by 2030, but there are concerns that these targets will not be met without an appropriate mechanism in place. The Federal Government appears to have abandoned the Finkel Review’s proposed Clean Energy Target, while the Renewable Energy Target will end in 2020. There are suggestions that the government’s Direct Action scheme could be used as an alternative to the RET, although Australian Energy Council CEO Matthew Warren contends that it would have to be reconfigured in order to be viable.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

Scale back Paris emissions commitment, reformers urge

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Oct-17

The Federal Government ruled out withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement in June, but Gary Banks of the Melbourne Institute and former government adviser Fred Hilmer say it should reduce back the nation’s commitment to the agreement. Banks, the former chairman of the Productivity Commission, has expressed concern about the likely economic impact of Australia’s renewable energy target. Banks and Hilmer have also questioned whether there has been adequate analysis and modelling of the Government’s energy policy.

CORPORATES
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. INSTITUTE OF APPLIED ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS AUSTRALIA

Rethink on clean energy target

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Oct-17

There appears to be a growing view within the Federal Government that a clean energy target, as recommended by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, is no longer required. This is because the cost of renewable energy is falling more quickly than previously forecast, with the cost of battery technology expected to fall by more than 70 per cent in the period to 2030. Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is expected to express these sentiments concerning the CET when he gives the keynote address at an energy summit.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Abbott opposed cheaper gas push: Libs

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 21-Sep-17

Some Coalition MPs have criticised the stance of former prime minister Tony Abbott on the issue of energy policy, after he threatened to vote against the government if it legislates to provide more renewable energy subsidies. Abbott’s critics within the Coalition note that he recently opposed a push for LNG export controls due to sovereign risk concerns, while he had also opposed the abolition of the Renewable Energy Target when he was prime minister.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Gas exports ‘starve local firms, jobs’

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 21-Sep-17

The Federal Government will shortly decide whether to impose LNG export controls in response to concerns about a gas shortage in the domestic market. However, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has warned that few alternative options are available, and said local factories may close and shed staff if the Government fails to limit gas export volumes. Sims has also argued that energy sustainability, reliability and affordability are separate issues and each requires a different solution.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, ESSO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (AUSTRALIA)