As Tim Buckley says on ABC TV’s The Business, nuclear is the most expensive option for Australia and the technology in the Australian context is entirely unproven – notwithstanding the claims to the contrary by the Coalition. Read more

The biggest problem of nuclear energy is “the technology in the Australian context is entirely unproven”, according to Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley, “We don’t have any of the supply chains, any of the labour, skilled workforce or knowledge to actually do it,” he said. He said it was “impossible” for any private investor (without taxpayer subsidies) to take on the risk of building a nuclear power plant. Read more

In fDi Intelligence, part of the FT, Tim Buckley reflects on the impacts of the US IRA and Australia’s Future Made in Australia Act: “We were increasingly hearing companies saying, ‘we’ll put our Australian decarbonisation project on hold, because the US government’s throwing hundreds of millions of dollars of subsidies at each project,” says Tim Buckley, founder of local think tank Climate Energy Finance. He points to local resources giant Fortescue last year pledging $550m towards a green hydrogen project in Arizona compared with $50m towards a green iron project in Australia. Climate Energy Finance is among industry bodies calling on the government to offer a total of A$100bn in green incentives to compete with the US. If the government is re-elected next year, Mr Buckley expects “significantly more money allocated” to FMIA.” Read more

NSW has been slow to build out transmission infrastructure for its REZs which slowed development within the zones and saw projects outside of them deprioritised, and has only just opened tenders for “access rights” to the new REZs≥ This has contributed to the state’s mammoth renewables slowdown, says Clean Energy Finance director Tim Buckley. “The devil will be in the detail,” he told Renew Economy. “If the Victoria scheme provides greater clarity on where firmed renewable projects can be located, and rewards hybrid renewable projects, that is an overall benefit. “We see that in China, where they actively develop renewable energy zones to maximise grid access by building wind and solar and battery storage and coal fired power plant projects together. “Start with the major constraint, which is grid transmission, and give investors confidence they won’t be constrained. “Investors need clarity and reduced risks from opaque approval structures and lack of visibility of where it’s best to put a renewable energy project. We need to deploy at speed and scale.” Read more

Tim Buckley heralded the announcement of electrified trucks in WA mining as a “massive opportunity” for Australia’s mining and industrial future. “For us to deploy and derisk new technology and that does require collaboration. BHP and Rio can be rivals in selling iron ore, but we need them to collaborate on supply chains to really derisk and get the benefit of common buying and scale. We know they will need a massive amount of trucks and it could underwrite a factory. Four or five of the biggest mining companies in the world are in Australia and that is a competitive advantage. Let’s extend that comparative advantage by encouraging a world leader like Caterpillar or Komatsu or Liebherr to come and build a factory here.” Read more

Mads Prange Kristiansen & Tim Buckley take an extended look at how Australia can leverage its huge opportunity in offshore wind. Read more

As CEF’s Tim Buckley and AM Jonson write in the AFR, the NSW government has left its green energy project pipeline languishing for years. Now it is charging a coal keeper tax instead, gouging consumers hundreds of millions of dollars to keep ageing coal wheezer Eraring open. Read more

Tim Buckley on ABC Illawarra, breaking down the NSW government’s justification for the extension of massive end of life coal clunker Eraring power station on the central coast, explaining how chronic delays in firmed renewables planning and approval processes in the state have been a key factor. (interview starts part way in to the clip). Read more

As the NSW government extends the Eraring power station for two years, Newcastle Herald notes that in In our report “The Lights Will Stay On: NSW Electricity Plan 2024-2030 Think tank Climate Energy Finance found an unprecedented number of clean energy projects had come online over the past six months, which more than offset the loss of 2880 megawatts of coal-fired generation from Eraring. This includes super battery projects at Munmorah, Eraring and Liddell. These batteries will act as shock absorbers during periods of fluctuating generation and demand.” Read more

As a new CSIRO report demonstrates once and for all that nuclear is not viable in Australia as a zero-emissions energy source, Tim Buckley explains that nuclear would lock in permanent, ultra-high energy prices for Australians. Read more

Tim Buckley breaks down the new CSIRO GenCost report out today which finds that a large-scale nuclear reactor would take at least until 2040 to build, cost around $17bn and produce power costing twice as much as firmed renewables, definitively showing that Peter Dutton’s nuclear fantasy is a complete furphy. Read more

Tim Buckley reviews Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ Future Made in Australia Budget handed down this week, breaking down the key takeouts and what it means for Australia’s pathway to decarbonisation as the the energy transition accelerates globally. Read more