NewsBite

Power network

January

Powerco is New Zealand’s largest electricity distributor by network length.

Ownership shakeup at $2b Kiwi poles-and-wires owner Powerco

Should Dexus succeed in buying the Powerco stake as expected, it would be a stunning comeback for the ASX-listed player after being rebuffed last year.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

November 2024

The Palisade team and Intera investors at Ross River Solar farm in Townsville. Palisade Managing director, Karen Gould and Executive director, Simon Parbery joined by investors and growth and development team.

Palisade shops at Forrest’s Squadron for renewable energy talent

Edward Mounsey, Michael Middleton and Matthew Flower are expected to join Intera Renewables’ new growth and development division.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

September 2024

Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station in Nottingham, England, was switched off on Monday.

Britain calls time on coal power, steel mills

On a single day, the UK closed its last coal-fired power plant and its largest carbon-munching steel mill.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

September 2024

Robin Khuda and Chris Tynan.

What we missed in the AirTrunk frenzy

AirTrunk founder Robin Khuda is thinking bigger than his own company. He says the staggering growth prospects for data centres can change the Australian economy.  

  • James Thomson
Powerco is New Zealand’s largest electricity distributor by network length.

ART buys Queensland’s 33pc of NZ poles-and-wires biz Powerco

The deal takes ART to 58 per cent ownership of Powerco, up from 25 per cent.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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June 2024

An Ausgrid community battery in Warriewood, in Sydney’s northern beaches.

To get power bills down, your suburb needs a battery

A power company wants to install hundreds of local batteries. Bureaucracy is getting in the way.

  • Aaron Patrick

May 2024

Qld union’s 13pc pay rise may spoil energy relief

One of the biggest first-year pay rises in the country could add 30 per cent to costs, as Labor rolls out $1300 in household energy relief ahead of the October state election.

  • David Marin-Guzman
The lack of offers to fund nuclear power has been deafening.

Private capital not there for nuclear dream

There’s vested interests everywhere in the energy sector, but it’s hard to find a deep-pocketed investor interested in nuclear over renewables and gas.

  • Anthony Macdonald
Neoen owns the Victorian Big Battery outside Geelong.

CDPQ, IFM, AusSuper eye $1.6b Neoen stake, but GPG debacle looms large

The French renewables group is working with Bank of America to sell a 30 per cent stake in its large local portfolio of assets to accelerate expansion.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

April 2024

Blackstone has been a prolific buyer of data centres around the world, and made little secret of its interest in AirTrunk.

AirTrunk suitors banker up as $15b sale gets under way; data room open

Street Talk understands DigitalBridge Group and IFM are in the process of engaging Barrenjoey, while Blackstone has Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley in its corner.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Steve Eisman was played by Steve Carell in “The Big Short”.

‘Big Short’ hero’s new big idea is one Aussie investors can ride

Famed US investor Steve Eisman says that when things are good, markets trade on stories. But there’s one theme that stands out from the rest. 

  • James Thomson

November 2023

Inside Canberra Data Centres.

CDC Data Centres in new $1b-plus debt deal; Barrenjoey on the ticket

CDC’s meteoric rise has been overseen by a well-regarded leadership team, which includes CEO Greg Boorer and Brett Chenoweth as chairman.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Energy Exemplar provides software tools that are used by more than 500 companies in 79 countries to simulate and forecast the electric, water, gas and renewable energy markets.

Blackstone, Vista Equity to buy Energy Exemplar in $1.6b deal

The acquisition of the North Adelaide-based provider of energy market software represents a bet on energy transition.

  • Updated
  • Jessica Sier

October 2023

New road, rail spending slumps as Labor tells premiers to cut back

Just eight new projects valued at $6.6 billion were added in 2022-23, a sharp decline on the 24 projects valued at $25.3 billion added the year prior.

  • Ronald Mizen

September 2023

Czech investor ‘excited’ to be coal-fired power’s white knight

Sev.en has cast shade on rival generators saying it is willing to help Australian governments avoid blackouts by extending the life of coal-fired power stations.

  • Peter Ker
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NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey.

Mookhey plots NSW’s return to surplus in two years

The state’s treasurer is promising voters “immediate assistance ... with long-term reform” in the Minns government’s first budget.

  • Updated
  • Samantha Hutchinson
Lighthouse acquired the 72MW Emerald Solar Park from Renewable Energy Systems in 2017.

Lighthouse Infrastructure launches $400m raise for solar and wind fund

If successful, the raise would substantially increase the size of the renewable energy investor’s funds under management to about $1 billion.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Power companies in South Korea say they are considering an Australian lawsuit over manipulation of coal-testing results.

Korean electric companies preparing Aussie fake-coal lawsuit

The action would escalate the fallout for lab giant ALS from a scandal involving the manipulation of testing results of Australian coal marked for export.

  • Liam Walsh
Coal truck

Miners urge Minns to speed up mine approvals after $2.7bn royalty hike

A coal royalty hike has dented investor confidence according to mining giants including BHP, Glencore and Whitehaven

  • Updated
  • Samantha Hutchinson and Elouise Fowler
The NSW government will begin talks with Origin Energy to keep Eraring power station open longer.

NSW admits it needs coal-fired power for longer

The state Labor government will open talks with Origin about keeping Eraring power station open beyond it’s scheduled closure date to ensure reliable supply.

  • Updated
  • Samantha Hutchinson and Angela Macdonald-Smith

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/power-network-1mpq