ENERGY POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Clean coal or bust for PM’s plan

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 15-Jun-17

Business and industry leaders have called for bipartisan support in federal parliament for a clean energy target in order to provide certainty on energy policy and ensure that electricity remains affordable. Meanwhile, the Federal Government is likely to include clean coal as a low-emissions energy source in any CET, despite certain opposition from the Australian Labor Party and the Greens. The Coalition remains divided on the issue of a CET, but Treasurer Scott Morrison has downplayed suggestions that the issue could prompt a leadership spill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, ENERGYAUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Coalition in revolt over climate fix

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Jun-17

Coalition MPs met on 13 June 2017 to discuss the Finkel energy review’s proposal to introduce a clean energy target, with sources indicating that most government ministers a and MPs stated their opposition to the CET model outlined by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel. There was widespread support in the partyroom for clean coal to be regarded as a low-emissions energy source, although this is likely to be opposed by the Australian Labor Party. Meanwhile, Labor has indicated that it will not support any move to allow the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in carbon capture and storage technology.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST

Finkel fires Coalition coal battle

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 13-Jun-17

The Australian Government appears to be struggling to secure backing for the Clean Energy Target (CET) proposed by Professor Alan Finkel. His recommendation involves requiring a certain percentage of electricity to be generated by low emission sources. The more conservative sections of the Liberal Party want "clean coal" to be regarded as a low emission source. However, the Australian Labor Party may not support a CET under these circumstances.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, ENERGY NETWORKS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

Blueprint ‘too little too late’ to save Melbourne methanol plant

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 13-Jun-17

Coogee Chemicals announced in March 2017 that it would dismantle its methanol plant in Melbourne and re-locate it to the US, due to the high cost of gas on Australia’s east coast. Although the Finkel review acknowledged that bans on gas exploration by Australian states were having an impact on gas prices and supply -and the cost of electricity – and that "blanket" bans should be avoided, Coogee Chemicals has made it clear that it does not intend to reverse its decision.

CORPORATES
COOGEE CHEMICALS PTY LTD, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, MANILDRA MILLING PTY LTD, REMAPAK PTY LTD

Time to fix power shock

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Original article by Phillip Coorey, Mark Ludlow, Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Jun-17

Professor Alan Finkel will release his final report on energy reform on 9 June 2017. Finkel is expected to recommend adoption of a Low Emissions Target (LET) scheme as the best way forward for meeting Australia’s energy needs in a low emissions environment, but he will leave the Federal Government to decide what "carbon emission" baseline to use. He will also advise that power companies must give three years’ notice when closing down a power generator, and that storage capacity should be a feature of any "new generation investment".

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, ACTEWAGL, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

50-year rule for coal-fired power stations gathers steam

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Original article by Sarah Martin
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 11-Apr-17

The Federal Government is understood to be considering a new mechanism for ensuring a smooth transition to renewable energy. Having rejected the idea of an emissions intensity scheme, the Government is believed to be planning to adopt a "50-year rule" for coal-fired power stations. The idea has the support of the Business Council of Australia, with CEO Jennifer Westacott saying it would enable the closure of coal-fired power plants to be staggered.

CORPORATES
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET COMMISSION

PM’s push for clean coal power

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 2-Feb-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the focus of the nation’s energy policy must be on ensuring a reliable supply of low-cost energy. He has called for the abolition of state-based bans on coal-seam gas projects and argued that clean coal should be part of the nation’s energy mix. Turnbull has also stressed the need for investment in storage technology for renewable energy. Industry Minister Arthur Sinodinos has raised the possibility that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation could help finance the development of a clean-coal power station.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY, CLIMATE INSTITUTE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

Shorten’s power policy switches

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Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 7-Nov-16

Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says the Australian Labor Party has changed its stance on energy policy more than 10 times over the last decade. He has criticised the Opposition for adopting a policy of sourcing 50 per cent of Australia’s energy supply from renewable sources by 2030 when it had provided owners of coal-fired power stations with millions of dollars worth of taxpayers’ funds when it was in government. Labor had also given some $A268m worth of free carbon permits to the owners of the Hazelwood power station in Victoria.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ENGIE SA, FRONTIER ECONOMICS PTY LTD, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

No Hazelwood, no energy plan

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 4-Nov-16

The closure of Hazelwood power station will have serious economic consequences for Victoria’s Latrobe Valley region as 750 workers will lose their jobs. Both state and Federal Governments have promised financial assistance, with the latter to provide $A43 million in aid. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews insists that the decision of majority owner Engie to close Hazelwood has nothing to do with the state’s energy policy.

CORPORATES
ENGIE SA, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM PRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION ASSOCIATION LIMITED

Global energy expert flags nation’s grid, gas supply as keys to review

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 3-Nov-16

The International Energy Agency has agreed to provide its opinion on Australia’s power generation policy to the Finkel review of energy security. Fatih Birol, the head of the agency, said many countries have problems with intermittent supply of power from renewable sources but none of them experienced an event on the scale of the state-wide blackout which occurred in South Australia in September 2016.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS