ENERGY POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Energy target not easy: PM

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 14-Sep-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed the importance of affordable and reliable baseload power in a clean energy target. The CET model that was recommended by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel did not designate clean coal as a clean energy source, but National Party leader Barnaby Joyce has indicated that the Government’s energy policy will include coal-fired power generation.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

PM’s new baseload plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 13-Sep-17

The Federal Government has advised that its energy policy will have a focus on affordable and reliable baseload electric power generation, rather than a clean energy target. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated that Australia could meet its 2030 emissions reductions targets while retaining coal as part of the energy mix. He also says AGL Energy’s plan to replace the 1,000 megawatts of baseload generation of its Liddell power station cannot include renewable energy, arguing that they are not baseload. AGL has been given 90 days to develop a plan to replace the ageing power station’s output.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Turnbull’s power deal with AGL

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 12-Sep-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg held talks with AGL Energy CEO Andy Vesey regarding the Liddell coal-fired power station on 11 September. Vesey agreed to a 90-day deadline to develop a plan to replace the ageing power station’s output. He will also put a proposal to the AGL board to sell the power station or keep it open for five years beyond its slated shutdown in 2022. The Australian ­Energy Market Operator has estimated that an extra 1,000 megawatts of electricity generation will be needed to offset the closure of Liddell.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Nationals rally against energy plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 7 : 11-Sep-17

The National Party’s federal council has passed a motion opposing a clean energy target. The same motion called for Australia’s renewable energy target to be set at 23 per cent in 2020, and for there to be no subsidisation of any energy source after that date. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg are set to meet AGL Energy CEO Andy Vesey over the future of AGL’s Liddell coal-fired power plant. AGL wants to close it in 2022, but the Federal Government wants AGL to sell the plant.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

New CET bid to extend life of coal-fired power

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Original article by Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Sep-17

The Australian Government is hoping to secure agreement from backbenchers on a Clean Energy Target before the end of 2017. It is understood that the proposed CET includes provision for existing coal-fired power stations to have their operating lives extended, as well as the possibility of a new coal-fired power station to be funded by the $A5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Both the Government and the Australian Energy Market Operator are keen to ensure greater stability within the National Electricity Market.

CORPORATES
NORTHERN AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, GREENSYNC PTY LTD, PJM

Labor tells Coalition on CET: we’re here to help

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 1-Sep-17

The Australian Government is aiming to finalise a Clean Energy Target by the end of 2017. The main hindrance to it doing so is a conservative backbench that wants "clean coal" to be included in the CET. Labor’s energy spokesman Mark Butler has indicated that the party would be willing to accept a CET that includes clean coal, arguably because it knows the chances of any new coal-fired power stations being built are non-existent.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

New coal power flashpoint for PM

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Original article by David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 31-Aug-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently ruled out government funding for the construction of high-energy, low-emissions coal-fired power plants. However, he has now given indications that such a project could potentially receive a government loan via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Some Coalition MPs are advocating the continued use of coal as part of Australia’s energy mix, as the Government prepares to decide its stance on a proposed clean energy target.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE FACILITY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, LIBERAL-NATIONAL PARTY OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Coal-fired power trade-off for new clean energy target

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Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Aug-17

With the Federal Government yet to take its amended energy policy to the Coalition partyroom, there are promising signs that gas prices are starting to come down. The Government has been able to get the Council of Australian Governments to agree to all but one of the Finkel energy review’s 50 recommendations, namely that of a clean energy target. It is believed that Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull are willing to give a commitment to investing in "clean coal"-fired power plants in order to get the partyroom to approve a CET.

CORPORATES
COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED

PM demands power chiefs act on prices

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Aug-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has requested that the heads of Australia’s main electricity retailers attend a meeting with him in the week beginning 7 August. Turnbull will tell them that the Federal Government wants retailers to provide customers with greater detail about how their power costs are incurred, so as to help them to reduce their expenses by either changing plans or retailer. A recent report from St Vincent de Paul concluded that the average Victorian power customer could save $A830 a year on electricity costs by changing from the most expensive plan to the least expensive one.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AGL ENERGY LIMITED – ASX AGL, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SNOWY HYDRO LIMITED, MOMENTUM ENERGY PTY LTD, ALINTA ENERGY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, SIMPLY ENERGY, ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

Cut power prices or ‘firms will go bust’

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Original article by Matt Chambers, Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 3-Aug-17

Glencore executive Peter Freyberg has called for a national energy policy that exempts heavy industry from carbon emission targets. He has warned that government intervention is needed to ensure that the rising cost of electricity does not make such industries economically unviable in Australia. Amongst other things, Freyberg says federal and state renewable energy targets should be scrapped, while he has questioned whether a clean energy target – as recommended by the Finkel review – would be sufficient to combat climate change without other measures.

CORPORATES
GLENCORE PLC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, MANUFACTURING AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, BRICKWORKS LIMITED – ASX BKW, CSR LIMITED – ASX CSR, RHEEM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, DULUXGROUP LIMITED – ASX DLX, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO