Media

That 60% margin is not only unsustainable as the market shifts away from “dig and ship” to more sophisticated solutions. China will simply not allow it to continue, according to Tim Buckley, the director of Climate Energy Finance, an independent Australian think-tank. “At the end of the day, the bigger question is, does China allow [mining companies] BHP and Rio [Tinto] and Hancock to keep making obscene rates of return if they’re not investing in solutions that China wants?” Buckley told Dialogue Earth. “No business sector sustainably generates 60% returns on capital employed … if there isn’t a perfect moat around your business.” Could that moat be about to be breached? Read more

Tim Buckley, director of think tank Climate Energy Finance and a former managing director of global investment bank Citigroup, said “this iteration of the Coalition’s energy policy pamphlet belongs in the bin fire with every previous iteration”. “This will make the 2028 federal election yet another referendum on whether Australia will stay in alignment with the global consensus of the Paris Agreement and the climate science,” Buckley said. Read more

For Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance, community engagement is not a box to tick at the end of a project. It is fundamental to overcoming the approval barriers that are currently slowing investment in Australia’s renewable energy infrastructure. “Building social licence is critical to reducing the approvals roadblocks that are massively undermining the much-needed step-up in renewable energy infrastructure investments across Australia,” Buckley says. For Buckley, the case for accelerating the transition has become even stronger as global geopolitical instability highlights the importance of energy independence. Read more

Think tank Climate Energy Finance Director Tim Buckley said the “moribund joke of an energy policy” would derail considerable progress made on transitioning Australia to clean, cheap, reliable, firmed renewables and destroy the momentum on EV take-up, “This climate science denialism and fossil fuel lobby capture creates sovereign risk for Australia by massively increasing investor risks,” Buckley said. “Policy uncertainty, such as dumping net zero, reduces capital investment in our country, with less investment in our energy system in turn reducing new energy supply and raising energy costs for consumers and industry. And all to pander to the vested self-interests in the US administration.” Read more

Tim Buckley, director of think tank Climate Energy Finance and a former managing director of global investment bank Citigroup said “this iteration of the Coalition’s energy policy pamphlet belongs in the bin fire with every previous iteration”. “This will make the 2028 federal election yet another referendum on whether Australia will stay in alignment with the global consensus of the Paris Agreement and the climate science,” Buckley said. “This alignment is imperative to ensure Australia’s energy security and prosperity in the emerging net-zero world economy.“ Renew Economy contacted Tehan’s office to clarify whether the Coalition’s latest policies implied a plan to pull Australia out of the Paris agreement. Read more

The Coalition has proposed scrapping net-zero mandates, lifting the ban on nuclear power and abolishing the Safeguard Mechanism as part of its energy policy. Buckley says the prospect of major policy changes following a change of government could affect investment decisions by increasing uncertainty around the future policy framework. He argues Australia should instead align energy investment with technological developments and the policies of major trading partners. Read more

“The 2026 intergenerational report showcases why getting the energy transition and economic transformation right today is critical for securing the economic prosperity and stability of future generations,” said Matt Pollard, head of research at Climate Energy Finance. “Failure to implement intergenerational policies that kickstart clean industries of the future for Australia, while Asian economies and our key trading partners are rapidly electrifying and decarbonising their economies, means the opportunity cost to posterity from inaction grows exponentially every year,” Pollard said. Read more

Most independent federal MPs, such as Kate Chaney and David Pocock, support a cap on credits for big mining companies, a proposal from the Climate Energy Finance think tank. Because the Fuel Tax Credit Scheme delivers billions in benefits to big mining companies, the Minerals Council leads a group of industry lobby groups that oppose any changes to the scheme. Despite a united front in public, the notes from the consultation group meeting suggest that these industry groups are anticipating changes to the scheme. Read more

Tim Buckley discussed AirTrunk’s proposed Kurri data centre, welcoming its proposed $3.7 billion investment, 350 ongoing jobs and community benefits, […] Read more

The announcement this week that the Whyalla Steelworks blast furnace would permanently close with the loss of more than 500 jobs, impacting the entire regional community, was a dark day. It has also been a long time coming. Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance ran this landmark industrial facility into the ground for years, with the South Australian Government accusing GFG Alliance of starving it of investment while defaulting on debts to suppliers and government and on worker entitlements. Read more

Tim Buckley, director of think tank Climate Energy Finance, a member group of Climate Capital Forum, similarly praised the announcement. “Excellent to see Arena funding being accelerated to stimulate early-stage ventures in the critically important cleantech sectors,” Buckley said. “This will incentivise more innovation to progress new ideas and ventures up the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) curve towards commercialisation. Read more

Tim Buckley, a former investment banker and the director of Climate Energy Finance, said on Monday that “putting Band-Aids on an antiquated, beyond end-of-life facility” had proven to be a waste of taxpayer funds. “The future for Whyalla lies in an electric arc furnace using electricity powered by renewables to produce steel at a fraction of the emissions of coal-fired blast furnaces, and developing the state’s valuable magnetite iron ore resources,” Buckley said. Read more