Our op ed on PM Albanese’s state visit to the US. While the visit was touted as a platform for major announcements on investment into an Australian response to the game-changing Inflation Reduction Act, there was a lot of talk, but only $2bn for Australian critical minerals – entirely insufficient relative to the scale of our opportunity to lead the world in processing of minerals onshore. Read our full analysis. Read more

Tim Buckley wraps PM Albanese’s state visit to the US and the need for a more ambitious strategic public capital commitment to leverage the opportunities of the US IRA, noting the $2bn additional commitment to critical minerals announced is insufficient relative to our massive opportunity as the world’s #1 exporter of lithium and does not adequately respond to the scale and pace of global decarbonisation. Read more

CEF and Climate Capital Forum’s response to the PM’s announcement during his state visit to the US of $2bn additional investment into Australian critical minerals. ““This is a mere token response to the US$1 trillion industrial and energy stimulus of the US Inflation Reduction Act – the biggest in US history – and the single biggest opportunity for Australia this generation. It isn’t even a down payment, it is so lacking in courage, conviction and ambition.” Read more

Tim Buckley said planning is needed for consecutive developments proposed across Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and Western Australia to cover the high set-up costs for a domestic manufacturing supply chain. “We need to weigh up the additional costs related to offshore wind construction and see where it makes the most economic sense,” he said. Read more

A profound investment surge in renewables, heat pump, batteries and EV manufacturing capacity globally is underway, with annual global manufacturing capacities of each due to double every 24 months at the current run rate, Tim Buckley of Climate Energy Finance (CEF) told MWM. Read more

In a feature on better utilisation of consumer energy resources to speed transition, the AFR notes that recently, Marsden Jacob Associates’ Cameron O’Reilly, Electrify Australia founder Saul Griffith and Climate Energy Finance’s Tim Buckley have pushed for more solar and batteries on household, business and public buildings to accelerate decarbonisation while large projects are built. Read more

As Comms Declare exposes PR firms involved in greenwashing fossil fuels, Tim Buckley notes Australia’s profit margin from exporting $240 billion in fossil fuels in 2022 had resulted in more money than ever to “fund their lobbying efforts to delay climate action and protect their profits”. Read more

In a beat up on the “failures” of energy transition reporting by the ABC and SMH, The Australian notes that the ABC AM program interviewed CEF’s Tim Buckley on Climate Energy Finance’s call for $100bn in government investment in renewables and critical minerals such as copper and lithium, and for the Future Fund to become an equity holder in renewables projects. Read more

CEF joined The call for a ten-year $100 billion Australian Renewables Industry Package to respond to the US IRA, endorsed by partners including the Australian Conservation Foundation, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Climate Action Network Australia, First Nations Clean Energy Network, New Energy Nexus, Rewiring Australia and the Smart Energy Council. Read more

Tim Buckley has a menu of “no regrets” investments in renewables that NSW Energy Minister Sharpe and the Treasurer Mookhey should consider regardless of Eraring. They include: backing with front-loaded finance and accelerated planning approvals 1200MW of utility scale renewables and 1200MW of distributed (customer-owned) renewables each year until 2030; accelerating the rollout of rooftop solar and batteries in public housing and schools across NSW; accelerating the frequency and ambition of Renewable Energy Zones auctions; cajoling NSW transmission and distribution companies to use tech company Neara to identify existing spare grid capacity for new renewables to be plugged in (it reckons there’s room for 10,000MW); and accelerating electrification for rentals and behind-the-meter batteries. Read more

CEF welcomes and applauds the politically courageous announcement by the Minns government in NSW today that it will increase the state’s coal royalties to generate a total of $2.7 billion for NSW over four years from 2024. Read more

A story by the political editor of Australian Community Media for the Canberra Times with Tim Buckley as the sole spokesperson, detailing the concept and benefits of “orchestration” of distributed and consumer energy resources. Read more