ENERGY SECURITY – AUSTRALIA

Labor races to secure fertiliser and diesel

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Original article by Ronald Mizen, Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 22-Apr-26

The federal government is confident that Australia will have sufficient petrol supplies for the month of May and at least the first part of June. However, government sources have indicated that the outlook is less certain for diesel, jet fuel and fertiliser. Australia is likely to face competition for these commodities in coming months, as European and Asian countries begin to rebuild their stockpiles. The government is set to announce new deals for Wesfarmers and Incitec Pivot to underwrite the purchase of fertiliser on the international market; this will be similar to a recent deal for Export Finance Australia to underwrite to fuel cargo purchases on the global spot market.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. EXPORT FINANCE AUSTRALIA

BHP tapped to advise on fuel crisis fix

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Original article by Perry Williams, Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 22-Apr-26

Resources Minister Madeleine King says the federal government has been working with companies across the economy to shore up the nation’s diesel fuel supplies since the Iran war began. It has been revealed that the government accepted an offer from BHP to provide expert advice on securing diesel supplies; Rio Tinto has also been assisting Labor to navigate the fuel market, although neither of procured physical supplies for the government. However, sources have indicated that Labor had been slow to accept assistance from the corporate sector.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES

Alarm over Russian blood oil

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 4 : 14-Apr-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Brunei and Malaysia in coming days as the federal government seeks to shore up Australia’s fuel supply. He has been urged to seek assurances that any fuel that is imported to Australia from countries such as Brunei and Malaysia has not been sourced using crude oil from Russia. Both nations have become significant importers of crude oil from Russia in recent years, and the Iran war-induced fuel crunch has prompted many Asian countries to buy the so-called "blood oil". Australia’s sanctions prohibit oil from being directly imported from Russia, although a loophole allows local companies to buy refined fuels from third countries that process Russian crude.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

PM’s Asia fix as state urges oil shift

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Original article by Greg Brown, Marcus de Blonk Smith
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 8-Apr-26

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will commence a two-day official visit to Singapore tomorrow, in the wake of the two nations’ recent fuel supply agreement. Albanese will visit a major oil refinery hub at Jurong Island and meet with Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong. Senior government figures have indicated that the visit is primarily aimed at ensuring that Australia is not subjected to export controls in the event of new restrictions on global oil exports. Singapore accounts for 26 per cent of Australia’s refined oil, including 55 per cent of petrol imports and 15 per cent of diesel imports. Albanese also discussed the issue of energy security with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SINGAPORE. PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

Crisis needs recall of national cabinet

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Original article by Sarah Ison,Eli Greenblat
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 18-Mar-26

The federal government is under pressure to convene an emergency meeting of the national cabinet amid growing concern about fuel supply. Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable says action is needed to ensure that fuel is available in regional areas; she notes that in addition to farmers, industries such as mining and fishing also need fuel. The Australian Trucking Association’s policy director Bill McKinley in turn says the average diesel price has increased by more than $0.80 per litre since the Iran war started, and trucking firms "cannot keep going the way they’re going". The Australian Institute of Petroleum has warned that oil companies are already seeking alternative countries from which to import fuel, which will cost a lot more.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA,AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION LIMITED,AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM LIMITED

Real and growing threat to grid if Australia goes for nuclear power

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Original article by Peter Hannam
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 26-Jun-24

The Australian Energy Market Operator has concluded that the rollout of wind and solar power needs to be accelerated as part of the energy transition. The latest edition of AEMO’s Integrated System Plan warns that there is a "real and growing" risk that replacement generation will not be available when coal-fired power stations are shut down, which underlines the need for increased investment in renewables. AEMO has also cautioned that nuclear plants could not be built and powered up before coal exits the energy grid.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED

Refinery rescue will cost $2.35bn

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 4 : 17-May-21

The federal government’s rescue package for the nation’s oil refineries was designed in consultation with Ampol and Viva Energy. The two companies will receive up to $2bn in direct taxpayer funding over the next decade. The variable payments system means that Ampol and Viva will receive greater taxpayer support during periods when their refineries’ margins are low. The government will also provide $302m for the refineries to shift to higher standards three years ahead of schedule. Australia’s two remaining oil refineries employ more than 1,200 people.

CORPORATES
AMPOL LIMITED – ALD, VIVA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX VEA

Canberra, refiners talk fuel security

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 16 : 8-May-20

Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor has held talks with Caltex, Viva Energy, ExxonMobil and BP about increasing the amount of oil they store in Australia. Taylor flagged plans to establish a domestic oil reserve earlier in 2020, when the government spent $94m on a strategic fuel reserve in the US. Caltex’s acting CEO Matt Halliday has told a conference that the coronavirus pandemic has put the issue of fuel security on the agenda, while Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt said demand for petrol is rising as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, ENERGY AND RESOURCES, CALTEX AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX CTX, VIVA ENERGY GROUP LIMITED – ASX VEA, EXXONMOBIL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, BP AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Power stability critical

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Original article by Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Feb-20

The Energy Security Board’s latest annual report card has stated that electricity affordability improved from ‘critical’ in 2018 to ‘moderate-critical’ in 2019. This was due to a combination of falling costs and government pressure on retailers. The ESB noted that power generation from wind and solar is tipped to grow from 16 per cent of supply in 2019 to more than 40 per cent by 2030. However, it warned that the growth of wind and solar poses a threat to the stability of the national grid, with greater intervention needed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. ENERGY SECURITY BOARD

No food, no fuel, no phones: Bushfires showed we’re only ever one step from system collapse

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Original article by Anthony Richardson
The New Daily – Page: Online : 11-Feb-20

Australia’s recent bushfires revealed the shortcomings of the ‘just in time’ model used for the distribution of food and fuel. When the Victorian town of Mallacoota was cut off by road and air because of the fires, food and fuel supplies quickly became so low that there were suggestions of a pending humanitarian crisis. Australia currently imports 90 per cent of its oil, most of which comes through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia is meant to keep 90 days of fuel supplies in reserve as part of its International Energy Agency obligations, but at one point in late 2019, it reportedly had only 23 days of jet fuel, 22 days of diesel and 18 days of petrol in reserve.

CORPORATES
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY