RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Taking wind out of Bowen’s sails

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Original article by Paul Garvey, Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 30-Jul-25

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has revealed that the federal government will expand its capacity investment scheme by 25 per cent, to 40 gigawatts. However, analysis by Rystad Energy shows that no wind farm projects that will be part of the national electricity market commenced construction during the first six months of 2025. There were some new wind farm projects in Western Australia, which is not part of the NEM. Rystad has forecast that renewables will account for 64 per cent of the NEM’s energy by 2030, which is well below the government’s 82 per cent renewable energy target by this date. Government adviser Ross Garnaut has in turned warned that this target will be missed by a "big margin", even with an expanded capacity investment scheme.

CORPORATES
RYSTAD ENERGY AS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER

100 per cent sure Bowen knows best

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Original article by Glen Norris, Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 5-Feb-25

Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Resources Minister Madeleine King have defended the federal government’s ambitious renewable energy target, amid growing opposition within the business community. Bowen and King have stated that the government takes its advice on energy policy from experts. Infrastructure NSW chairman Graham Bradley is amongst the business leaders who contend that the target of generating 82 per cent of Australia’s electicity via renewables by 2030 is unrealistic and must be revised.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES, INFRASTRUCTURE NEW SOUTH WALES

Renewables target: 82 per cent of no chance

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Original article by Greg Brown
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 4-Feb-25

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry CEO Andrew McKellar doubts that the federal government’s 2030 renewable energy target is realistic. He says Labor will need to reconsider its goal of having 82 per cent of the nation’s electricity generated via renewables by the end of the decade. McKellar contends that while renewables will be the ‘backbone’ of the energy grid in the medium to longer term, there will need to be a strong focus on gas exploration, production and supply in the near-term. Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO Luke Achterstraat agrees that the renewables target should be reviewed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COUNCIL OF SMALL BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED

BHP asks govt to narrow gap on Biden’s bill

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Mark Ludlow, Peter Ker, James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 20 : 6-Mar-23

Allens partner Kate Axup says that Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has highlighted the need for the federal government to play a more active role in encouraging the development of an Australian hydrogen industry. BHP has used its pre-budget submission to urge Labor to adopt measures that will attract financing and boost local refining and manufacturing in the low-emissions technologies sector, while a spokeswoman for Energy Minister Chris Bowen has labelled the IRA as a "game-changer for climate action and for clean energy supply chains, including hydrogen".

CORPORATES
ALLENS, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER

Nationals brawl over hydrogen

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 27-Apr-22

The federal government has committed more than $1bn to the development of hydrogen hubs as part of its net-zero emissions strategy. However, National Party senator Matt Canavan says energy policy should focus on building new coal-fired power stations rather than hydrogen hubs, arguing that Australia needs a reliable energy supply now. Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has defended Canavan’s stance on coal but says that unlike Labor, the Coalition’s policies will allow the nation to have both a coal and hydrogen industry. Joyce has rejected Canavan’s call for Australia to put its net zero strategy on hold.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Canberra boost for Pilbara renewables

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 23-Oct-20

The proposed Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara is set to be granted major project status by the federal government. The 6,500-square kilometre hub will use wind and solar power to produce zero-emission green hydrogen for the domestic and export markets. So-called clean hydrogen was identified as one of five priorities in the government’s low-emissions technology roadmap. A final investment decision on the $US36bn ($51bn) project is slated to be made by 2025.

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Renewables well short of the electricity target

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Original article by Adam Creighton
The Australian – Page: 2 : 12-Jul-19

Tony Wood from the Grattan Institute expects Australia’s Renewable Energy Target of 33GWh by 2020 to be met, despite the release of data showing that solar and wind power accounted for just 15 gigawatt hours of total electricity generation in 2018-19. Wood notes that uncertainty surrounding the RET has caused investment in renewables to be delayed, but he says separate data shows that such investment in renewables is slated to increase during 2019-20.

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GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY REGULATOR, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY COUNCIL

Avalanche of renewables may threaten power grid

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 1 & 8 : 5-Dec-18

Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that clean energy will account for the bulk of investment in Australia’s electric power generation capacity in the next two decades or so. However, the International Energy Agency’s executive director Fatih Birol says the stability of Australia’s energy grid may be jeopardised if measures are not in place to ensure that it can cope with a big influx of renewables. Birol adds that increasing renewables’ share of the energy mix is not the sole solution to global warming. Labor proposes to implement the national energy guarantee as part of its climate change policy.

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INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, BLOOMBERG NEW ENERGY FINANCE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED

Goal of 50pc renewables by 2030 on track

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Original article by Ben Potter
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 : 30-Nov-18

Green Energy Markets says renewable sources are likely to account for 50 per cent of Australia’s energy supply by 2030. The energy consultancy estimates that renewables could account for 78 per cent of the nation’s energy mix by 2030 if the current take-up rate of rooftop solar panels and investment in wind and solar farms is sustained. A recent report from the United Nations concluded that Australia and another seven G20 countries will not meet their 2030 renewable energy targets.

CORPORATES
GREEN ENERGY MARKETS PTY LTD, UNITED NATIONS, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN ENERGY MARKET OPERATOR LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. CLEAN ENERGY FINANCE CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Strategy will shut four coal plants

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Original article by Matthew Denholm
The Australian – Page: 6 : 23-Nov-18

Minerals Council of Australia CEO Tania Constable says Labor must explain how it will guarantee a reliable base-load power supply under its policy of a renewable energy target of 50 per cent by 2030. She has warned that the policy could force four coal-fired power stations in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland to be shut down well before the 2030 target date, in addition to the Liddell plant in NSW. She adds that this would result in a big rise in electricity prices.

CORPORATES
MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MARITIME, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION