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Tim takes us from his early career in financial research and forensic company analysis to carbon pricing, corporate governance, superannuation, ESG, Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, China’s manufacturing scale, green steel, batteries, data centres and Australia’s opportunity to become a clean-energy powerhouse. This is a conversation about how capital actually moves, why incentives matter, why governance matters and why the energy transition will ultimately be shaped by economics as much as engineering. Read more

Climate Energy Finance research head Matt Pollard said the development would advance green iron research in Australia and could also accelerate work on rival projects. “That is a big step forward because that electric smelting furnace technology is the focus of the NeoSmelt project in Kwinana and it’s what a number of other companies around the world are focusing on as well,” he told AAP. Read more

The federal programme emerged from Labor’s re-election in the 2025 federal election, having been a central pillar of its energy policy platform. Around the time of its launch, Tim Buckley, director of think tank Climate Energy Finance, told ESN Premium that the scheme could make Australia a “red-hot market” for battery storage, predicting it would help build out local supply chains and stimulate broader investment in the sector. Read more

While each household battery is not large, Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley said together they had made a major difference to energy demand, and could reduce power prices this year and the next. “You can have your solar during the day, you can use that to charge your battery, and the battery is big enough on average to power most houses through the night as well,” he told AAP. Read more

Snowy Hydro and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation will seek partly-developed wind and solar battery hybrid projects to meet a newly-inked 10-year arrangement to supply Tomago aluminium smelter with renewable energy from 2033 onwards. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today confirmed that the $2.5 billion rescue deal, split 50:50 between the federal and New South Wales government, would underwrite 3GW of renewable generation and firming capacity, and that a statewide search would identify projects languishing between development approval and final investment decision. Read more

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, says the deal structure risks making Australia a potential “dig-and-ship quarry” while the US captures the technological “value-add”. He wants any deal with Australian public exposure to mandate binding local processing requirements. Read more

Tim’s interview starts at 2:03:47 Tim Buckley discussed the $2.5 billion state and federal government support package to secure Tomago Aluminium’s future and transition the smelter from subsidised coal power to firmed renewables. Tomago consumes around 12% of NSW electricity and supports 1,000 direct and thousands of indirect jobs. Buckley said the agreement could unlock renewable investment through long-term demand certainty. Power will combine wind, solar, batteries, demand response and limited gas peaking, helping maintain grid reliability while supporting globally competitive, lower-emissions aluminium production. Read more

“Now Rio Tinto and partners have agreed to invest another $1.1bn in modernisation and decarbonisation on top of the $2.5bn state and Federal investment package in renewable energy,” wrote Tim Buckley this morning. “Rio Tinto has long threatened Tomago closure when the subsidised coal power contract expired end 2028. The world is embracing decarbonisation and Tomago is >95% export focussed, so Rio has long made it clear green aluminium exports was the only international path forward. Read more

Tim’s interview starts at 14:30 Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance, compared challenges facing Tomago in NSW and Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania, arguing governments cannot continue relying on repeated taxpayer-funded industry bailouts. He noted almost $10 billion in government support across Australian industrial facilities over two years. While recognising the strategic importance of aluminium and associated jobs, Buckley called for long-term solutions, highlighting competitive pressure from subsidised Chinese refining capacity and the need for greater renewable energy supply to reduce electricity costs. Read more

The energy crisis unleashed by the Mideast conflict has rippled worldwide, but some countries are better protected than others. Like China, Australia is in a fortunate position, thanks largely to years of renewables and battery build-out. Record solar and wind generation, booming home batteries and rooftop panels have mitigated the impact of the energy price and supply shocks seen elsewhere. The country’s one acute vulnerability — imported fuel, oil for the most part — is driving a tipping point in adoptions of electric vehicles (EVs). Read more

In this episode, Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance, explores Australia’s opportunity to become a global leader in green iron and green steel. The discussion examines how decarbonising steel production could strengthen Australia’s economic competitiveness, create new export opportunities, and support the transition to a low-emissions future. The conversation also highlights the policy, investment and technology changes needed to position Australia at the forefront of the global green metals industry. Read more

Australia faces a nation-defining moment. Climate change, energy insecurity, technological transformation and geopolitical competition are reshaping the economic and strategic landscape. They can no longer be understood – or governed – in isolation. They demand a more strategic response: one that aligns public institutions and private investment to build the industries that will underpin future prosperity and national resilience. Read more