GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Rio Tinto backs China on ETS

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Angus Grigg, Ben Potter, Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 4-Oct-17

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg says China’s plans to implement an emissions trading scheme before the end of 2017 will not affect the Australian Government’s stance on climate policy and emissions trading. Rio Tinto’s head of environment and climate change, Matthew Bateson, has welcomed China’s announcement. He notes that it would send a "strong message" to other nations if China takes the lead on climate change, adding that the world is moving away from coal as a source of power.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE CHIEF SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GLENCORE PLC

Abbott to ‘cross floor on energy’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Simon Benson
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 20-Sep-17

Up to six Coalition backbenchers are said to support former prime minister Tony Abbott in his stance against a clean energy target. Abbott has warned that he would vote against a government bill to introduce a CET, while he has called for Australia to adopt a reliable energy target of 100 per cent in place of a renewable energy target. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has conceded that the RET is too generous, but noted that it was introduced in its current form during Abbott’s prime ministership.

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

Energy target not easy: PM

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

Nationals rally against energy plan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

Cut power prices or ‘firms will go bust’

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

Turnbull cool on ‘clean coal’ funding

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 21-Jul-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had stated on 19 July 2017 that high efficiency low emissions (HELE) coal-fired power stations could help Australia to meet its emission goals set out in the Paris climate agreement. However, when asked on the following day at the Economic and Social Outlook conference whether the Federal Government would be prepared to help finance the construction of such plants, he said he would prefer if the market decided whether HELE plants had a place in Australia’s future energy mix.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, TESLA INCORPORATED

Clean coal or bust for PM’s plan

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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

Finkel fires Coalition coal battle

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

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