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Energy & Climate

Yesterday

Firefighters are continuing to tackle a fire burning in the Grampians.

Fire threat rises amid worst conditions since 2019 Black Summer

Damaging winds are fanning extreme fire danger as hot and dry weather envelops large parts of Victoria, south-west NSW and much of eastern South Australia.

  • William Ton and Samantha Lock

This Month

South Australia’s Northern coal power station in Port Augusta was closed in 2016 and subsequently blown up.

Power findings show ‘failure of privatisation’: SA energy minister

Minister Tom Koutsantonis says the behaviour of large power generators reported by the Australian Energy Regulator is “extremely concerning”.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Yallourn coal station in Victoria. Coal and gas plants dominate the market when solar is offline.

Energy grid’s power imbalance could blow out bills, AER warns

In a review to be released on Friday, the energy regulator also said the government should consider the need to diversify ownership as it underwrote projects.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Frontier’s modelling has also flipped the script about uncosted energy policy.

Nuclear costings put heat on uncosted renewables plan

Both sides of politics should end the charade of promising cheaper power prices while debating the least costly transition to a net zero economy.

  • The AFR View
The $121 billion figure touted by Energy Minister Chris Bowen for the energy transition may be much too low.

Frontier’s modelling exposes flaws of Labor’s renewables policy

The reality dawning on Australians is we don’t have any energy plan close to giving us an honest picture of our future power prices.

  • Michael Wu and Zoe Hilton
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There is no shortage of horror stories about nuclear plant cost blow outs but there are also excellent recent examples of projects that are far less costly.

Why the critics are wrong about nuclear costings

I stand by the analysis that shows on a system-wide average economic cost basis, including nuclear remains cheaper than a renewables only system.

  • Danny Price
Australia is considering more new coal mines than any other country, despite climate protests.

Coal demand hits record with Australia bulking up

Australia is over-represented on the world stage as a source of new coal output, the International Energy Agency found.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith

Nuclear play snares energy industry in political pincers

Peter Dutton is betting big on nuclear power. Labor labels this economic insanity. And the public won’t believe either party’s estimates of what will be cheaper.

  • Jennifer Hewett
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton flanked by shadow energy spokesman Ted O’Brien (left) and Nationals leader David Littleproud in Brisbane on Friday.

Economics of Coalition’s nuclear modelling are worth nothing

There may well still be good reasons to favour nuclear. But on the basis of this modelling, the economics isn’t one of them.

  • Steven Hamilton
AEMO’s projections seem to understate the increasing importance of data centres which are set to be the largest commercial/industrial load in the system.

Finally, reality bites the faux economics of Australia’s energy debate

The Coalition’s nuclear costing report’s theme is that all technologies should be on the table and subjected to analysis that reflects the real world.

  • Patrick Gibbons
Opposition leader Peter Dutton (centre) flanked by shadow energy spokesman Ted O’Brien (l) and Nationals leader David Littleproud in Brisbane on Friday.

Any hope of a rational debate about nuclear power is gone

Households and businesses would be better served by a rational debate on the merits of including nuclear power in the future energy mix. They aren’t getting that.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Much less new transmission would be needed under the Coalition’s nuclear plan.

Dutton’s nuclear costings underpinned by ‘distorted numbers’

Critics point to what they call four miscalculations in the modelling by Frontier Economics.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused the CSIRO of “bagging” his party’s nuclear energy plan on Monday.

Fears nuclear power ‘may stop people moving to the bush’

Regional Australia is having its “phoenix moment” as more people move to the bush, but some residents fear the Coalition’s nuclear plan could hinder growth.

  • Stephanie Gardiner
Squadron Energy’s terminal at Port Kembla may be able to deliver gas to Victoria by 2026, but customers have been so far unwilling to commit to firm commercial agreements.

Victoria is running out of gas and there is no easy fix

A gas-rich, wealthy country unable to supply gas to its major population centres is a massive policy failing. There is one “least-worst” solution.

  • Tony Wood
Our report reviewed the practices of 14 large Australian companies, each of whom are regarded as ‘high emitters’.

Linking executive pay to net zero is working – sort of

It’s encouraging to see this linkage increasingly happening, but there is still work to do when it comes to making sure such efforts are effective.

  • Zoe Whitton and Rebecca Mikula-Wright
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Effective and efficient fleet management includes the electrification and decarbonisation of vehicles.

Pathway to fleet decarbonisation

Navigating the transition to electric vehicles will be an ongoing focus for so many businesses in the coming years, says Custom Fleet.

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The distribution network holds the key to unlocking a more cost-effective, equitable energy transition.

Distributors are the ‘missing middle’ in the future of energy

The distribution network holds the key to unlocking a more cost-effective, equitable energy transition.

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November

Tim Nelson and three other experts have been tasked with rewriting the rules for the National Energy Market.

‘Nothing’s off the table’: Expert panel to overhaul electricity market

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has tapped former AGL Energy executive Tim Nelson and three other industry specialists to review the National Energy Market.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
The Eraring power station in NSW will stay open to buy time for the renewables revolution to meet energy needs.

The argument against clean energy is an argument for more blackouts

It is a race against time with the grid under pressure because of coal’s failure not renewables, writes Climate Change Authority chairman Matt Kean.

  • Matt Kean
People watch as the sun rises over Ben Buckler Point in Bondi on November 27, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.

Energy efforts run into reality

The risk of power blackouts is real and rising this summer – along with the costs of frantically trying to avoid that happening,

  • Jennifer Hewett
COP29 in danger of “going literally nowhere”: UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell.

COP29 made slow progress in the hottest year ever

The value of the international climate talkfest is again under the spotlight. But Australia should stay on board what has been described as humanity’s life raft.

  • Tony Wood
The number of rooftop solar panels has passed four million. But there are potential dangers for consumers.

Where have the cowboy solar panel spruikers gone? Home battery storage

The roll-out of renewables to households has been a success. But it has come with a dark side, with dodgy operators taking advantage of ill-informed customers.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Australia left in limbo after fight to host global COP talks falters

Australia is vying with Turkey to host the annual climate summit, but a discordant meeting in Baku deferred the decision until June – after the federal election.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said the federal government needs to act to grow gas production or risk compromising Australia’s energy security.

Labor failing gas industry on lawfare, approvals: O’Neill

Meg O’Neill said the Albanese government’s lack of progress on streamlining gas approval processes and reining in “lawfare” risks imperilling energy security.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
A protester speaks at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

No-shows and early exits make climate talks a sideshow

The world leaders who skipped Baku last week are all in Brazil now. While COPs are always fraught and fractious, this one feels at risk of sliding into irrelevance.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate