MWM has been calling for gas reservation for ten years. The problem is that 84% of gas is exported and, as energy analyst Tim Buckley puts it, “Ridiculously high domestic methane prices also massively drives the Australian energy cost of living crisis, both directly into homes and indirectly by driving up wholesale electricity prices. Gas electricity generators have charged an average A$200/MWh in 1HCY2025, double the $97/MWh NEM average to-date”. Read more

The Highlights * Labor’s re-election * Bradfield recount – a celebration of the integrity of our voting system * Labor’s Residential Battery Program – Minister Bowen re-commits to his election pledge of $2.3bn home and business BESS subsidy * Australia on track to see utility BESS increase 8x to 16GW by end 2027 The Big Story this week * China emissions peaked in March 2024, and now for 12 months have plateaued and marginally declined * 4MCY2025 thermal power generation in China down 3.6% yoy * China installs 46GW of solar in just the single month of April 2025 Read more

The unexpected landslide victory for Australia’s Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term is good news for global climate action and a strong endorsement of America’s move to clean energy and former President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), despite efforts by Trump to dismantle it. Read more

For years, experts have been calling on the Government to stand up to the gas industry and demand not only a greater slice of their supply for domestic use, but also fairer prices. Around 80 per cent of Australia’s gas, on average, is exported. Meanwhile, wholesale gas prices have doubled from where they were four years ago. Read more

The director of Clean Energy Finance, Tim Buckley, said there was cause for optimism but maintaining the pace of investment and developmentrequired much quicker approvals, construction and commissioning. “We need to get speed and scale way beyond current rates, particularly with extended delays to grid connection,” he said. Read more

The answer is increasingly clear. Australia’s largest economic opportunity lies in transforming from a conventional commodity exporter into a global supplier of clean commodities like green iron, sustainable aviation fuel, green aluminium, and clean ammonia. This opportunity is well documented. Reports from The Superpower Institute, Climate Energy Finance, and others make the case for investment in value-added clean exports that align with global demand and climate trajectories. Read more

“We need batteries to time shift demand from when solar is generating to when consumers are demanding it, and that is invaluable for grid stability.” Labor has committed $2.3 billion to subsidise the take-up of 1 million household batteries by 2030, providing up to 30 per cent off the upfront cost of installing eligible small-scale battery systems. Read more

Tim on expert view for AER and DMO in the Energy Australia has been smashed for three years now from hyperinflation of fossil fuel costs – record high coal and methane gas prices. For all the climate luddites’ and vested interests’ misinformation associating higher electricity prices with renewables, the majority of our grid is powered by fossil fuels. Read more

“Our governments have repeatedly failed to prevent the gouging of multinational corporations profiteering at our expense, using our public resources,” he says. With the increasing cost of transmission and distribution — often simplified to “poles and wires” — and the need to further modernise our grid, he wants government to embrace what he calls the “massive battery disruption” now underway. Read more

Tim Buckley, Climate Energy Finance Director, says energy costs are rising across the board—network, wholesale, retail—driven in part by long-term […] Read more

China’s emissions were down 1.6 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2025 and by 1 per cent in the latest 12 months, according to Myllyvirta’s analysis of new economic and climate data. China’s rapid deployment of electricity supply from new wind and solar infrastructure as well as hydro and nuclear, alongside its efforts to electrify its economy – particularly through the rapid roll-out of electric vehicles – has displaced coal and oil use and thereby cut emissions. Read more

“Australia leads the world in battery energy storage deployment. The biggest problem we’ve got is trying to get those connected to the grid,” says Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley. “The Waratah Super Battery was actually commissioned in November last year, but it’s still not operating. It actually helped the grid in November when we had a major energy demand shock, but it’s still not operating nine months later. Read more