Media

China Energy Policy Analyst Xuyang Dong argues: “Australia is being remade into an active and helpful middle power in its region with its own agency, constructively and strategically navigating its presence in the geopolitics of growing China-US rivalry.” Read more

As the cost and timeline of Australia’s biggest renewable energy project, Snowy Hydro, blows out further, Tim Buckley says long duration storage is a critical part of enduring grid reliability. As we see a massive boom in battery installs for short to medium duration storage, absent Snowy Hydro we are going to have to find other solutions to meet our long duration storage needs. Read more

Drenched in sunshine and blessed with windswept coasts, Australia has the natural ingredients to be a renewable energy superpower, Tim Buckley told AFP in this story in The Australian that was syndicated internationally to Al Jazeera, France24 and elsewhere. “Every bloody week there’s a new battery announced, or a new wind farm, or other major projects proceeding.” The tricky part, he added, would be figuring out how to store this energy and pump it across Australia’s vast distances. Read more

What’s happening in the global lithium space? Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley explains in detail, including the growing geo-political interest in processed lithium. He affirms growth trends for lithium suppliers and producers, despite short term price weakness. Read more

Bloomberg looks at Vinod Adani, Gautam’s brother and a key figure in the family empire, who has cut ties with companies linked to the Carmichael project. Tim Buckley, who’s observed the conglomerate for years, said it seems like a “logical house-cleaning” to distance Vinod from the Adani empire. Read more

Tim Buckley comments on NBN Co’s testing of a new micro wind turbine design at a site in Geelong, Victoria, to decide whether it can play a supporting role in emergency electricity supply. Read more

The international Carbon Herald reports on CEF’s independent modelling that shows production major Woodside Energy and its partners may have to pay a carbon bill of up to A$63 billion from their gas fields by 2050 following the latest Safeguard Mechanism reforms, with Tim Buckley noting that “this is a clear commercial signal for Woodside to invest in decarbonisation.” Read more

Glen Walker head of advocacy and strategy for Greenpeace Australia Pacific responds to the address at the National Press Club yesterday by the Woodside Energy CEO Meg O’Neill. 49% of Woodside shareholders last year voted against the climate report, with the board and leadership completely dropping the ball on addressing climate change and managing climate risk. Glenn cites the CEF report, which quantifies a $63 billion Safeguard liability for Woodside’s gas projects. Read more

Carbon Pulse reports on CEF’s new analysis which finds Woodside will face a massive Safeguard liability if it fails to decarbonise. Read more

Federal political reporter at The West Australian, Dan Jervis-Bardy (formerly of Canberra Times) puts an incisive question to Woodside Energy CEO Meg O’Neill at the National Press Club of Australia today quoting CEF’s new analysis released overnight showing the massive multibillion dollar safeguard mechanism carbon liability the company and its JV partners are facing if they fail to abate emissions at their existing gas facilities and open up Browse and Scarborough. Read more

Woodside Energy and its partners are looking at a carbon gas bill of up to $63 billion by 2050 under new Safeguard Mechanism rules, according to a new report from Climate Energy Finance (CEF). This compares to the company’s market capitalisation is $64 billion. The reformed Safeguard Mechanism requires that Scope 1 emissions from Woodside’s two existing LNG processing facilities for the North-West Shelf (NWS) and Pluto fall by 4.9 per cent every year, while the two proposed gas fields must be net zero emissions from the start. Read more

Woodside chief executive, Meg O’Neill, says Australia needs new gas developments to protect against an energy shock, and has warned that well-funded protest groups risk choking supplies. Climate Energy Finance said in a new report that Woodside will expose itself to a multi-billion dollar liability if it progresses plans to expand gas operations in Western Australia’s north-west. Read more