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Energy security

This Month

Industrial action by tug workers could disrupt LNG exports from Gladstone over the next two weeks.

Gladstone industrial action threatens LNG exports

Any disruption to shipments from the Queensland port could temporarily boost gas supplies for the domestic market just as the ACCC is warning of potential shortages in the southern states.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the Capacity Investment Scheme will help Australia achieve its 2030 climate targets.

Green power scheme’s flaws emerge after making crucial progress

Action is needed to turbocharge the build-out of clean generation, but the shortcomings in Labor’s game plan mean 2030 climate targets remain in doubt.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Squadron Energy has almost finished building an LNG import terminal in Port Kembla in NSW.

Gas price warning as winter shortages loom for Victoria

ACCC’s warnings that consumers face higher prices as the southern states start to rely on imports have been rejected by the country’s leading LNG importer.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Households with rooftop solar are partly insulated from the changes in the electricity market.

Power price surge adds to ‘headwinds’ for energy bills

Average wholesale electricity prices doubled in the December quarter, with NSW suffering the biggest jump amid a run of hot weather and coal unit outages.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Laura Caspari, Managing Director of renewables at Engie

Engie woos data centres to set up near wind and solar farms

The French utility giant has ambitious plans to help meet Australia’s clean energy targets, but its executives say we need to think outside the box to get there.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
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December 2024

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
BHP suspended its WA nickel operations earlier this year after heavy losses, helping cut demand for gas in the state.

Nickel shutdowns ease WA’s gas shortage fears

While gas for Western Australia’s domestic users is adequate for the next few years, a shortfall may emerge in 2028, the market operator says.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
EnergyAustralia executive, operations and projects, Sue Elliott, at the Mount Piper power station near Lithgow in NSW last Thursday.

EnergyAustralia’s fight for future of NSW coal plant

The large Mount Piper generator may be needed by the market for another 15 years, but in a vastly different role that will require policy support.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
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
Peter Dutton’s nuclear policy is about to be tested.

CSIRO doubles down on nuclear power as too costly, slow

The science agency’s latest report on future energy needs comes just ahead of the long-awaited costings for Peter Dutton’s nuclear energy policy.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
A BHP pilot boat near the mining giant’s iron ore facilities at Port Hedland in the Pilbara.

The Pilbara plots its path from diesel to clean, green mining

Port Hedland is bang in the middle of the country’s industrial engine. There are ambitious plans to decarbonise with miles of transmission and new generation.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
There are fears of blackouts and surging electricity prices in the hottest months of the year.

Emergency market operator moves to plug gaps ahead of hot, wet summer

The energy market operator has placed emergency energy reserves on standby ahead of the hottest months of the year and warned about managing gas supplies.

  • James Hall
APA’s Port Hedland solar farm and battery project will help BHP cut emissions from its port operations.

APA plots path from gas to become a Pilbara solar and batteries giant

The company, which opened its latest electricity project in Port Hedland on Tuesday, expects to tick off on more investments in the region within a year.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
“We have long raised concerns about the timing of Project Energy Connect,” Tom Koutsantonis, South Australia’s Minister for Energy and Mining, said.

South Australia in urgent bid to restart diesel power plants

A $2.3 billion power cable linking SA and NSW is behind schedule, stoking concerns that SA – which has no coal-fired power – could face reliability issues.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
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November 2024

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.

  • Updated
  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Origin Energy’s Unit 3 at its huge Eraring coal power plant on the Central Coast should be back online this weekend.

Generators scramble after NSW’s near miss on blackouts

More than 2000 megawatts of coal power capacity is due back online within 10 days, as generators scramble to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s close shave on the NSW power grid.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
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
One of Origin Energy’s units at its Eraring coal power station in NSW is down for maintenance work.

NSW grid scrapes through power crisis, bigger test ahead

NSW was set to narrowly avoid blackouts on Wednesday only due to emergency measures, a situation that has unnerved industry and consumers.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith
Peter Nash has bought a generator in case the lights go out over summer.

Generator sales jump as summer blackout fears persist

“I reckon I’ll be using it tonight,” said one owner. Despite the concern, the energy market operator said the immediate chance of a power failure had subsided.

  • Angela Macdonald-Smith

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/energy-security-hxb