Media

Governments, businesses and households are pivoting because electrification increasingly makes economic sense. For Australia, this presents both an opportunity and a warning. We remain the world’s third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, yet many of our biggest export markets are simultaneously accelerating their transition towards renewable electricity and electrified industries. As these economies in Asia continue reducing their dependence on imported coal and gas, Australia’s long-term export profile must change. Rather than resisting that shift in a way that leaves workers exposed to sudden shocks, we should prepare for it. Read more

Electric car sales continue to surge in Australia even as the energy crisis fades, and tax breaks on fuel begin to phase out, with both BYD and Tesla selling record numbers of vehicles last month. BYD recorded an astonishing 18,881 vehicles in June, up from 8211 in May. Its rival Tesla sold 8670 vehicles in June, surpassing its previous record of 6433 set in May. In June last year Tesla sold 4589 cars in Australia. Read more

Tim Buckley joined the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Renewable Energy Council Asia-Pacific (RECAP) delegation to China. Read more

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance, an Australian think-tank, told ST the reservation scheme was long overdue and that the prices paid by Australian consumers for gas were “obscene”. He said the scheme, which could include a price cap for domestic sales, will ensure Australians do not pay export prices for their own gas. But, he said, the scheme will not affect export prices or volumes because the country already uses about 20 per cent of its overall supply. “The scheme is a very important and necessary initiative,” he said. Read more

John Grimes, CEO of the Renewable Energy Council Asia Pacific; Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance; and Qian Zhengyang of Mingyang Smart Energy Group discussed China–Australia clean energy cooperation and the role of green supply chains in the global energy transition in an interview with CGTN’s Mi Sutong. Read more

Climate Energy Finance analyst Matt Pollard has argued publicly that applying maintenance capital to ageing coal generators, without simultaneously building out low-cost renewable replacement capacity, creates compounding risks for the Queensland grid. His position is that the economic and environmental sustainability of the grid is placed under increasing stress when the approach focuses on preserving legacy assets rather than enabling their replacement. Read more

NSW stood to gain almost $265 million from the US-Iran-Israel war, with the 2026-27 budget revising royalties up by $84 million in 2025-26 and $186 million in 2026-27. Pollard attributed this to higher thermal coal prices that stemmed from disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affected oil and petrochemical derivatives but also coal, which is benchmarked against Brent Crude prices. Read more

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey was unequivocal on the central role of energy transition in economic growth and prosperity. Mookhey emphasised that the renewables transition is a top driver of investment into the state, with renewable energy infrastructure a significant contributor to the 20% surge in investment over the year to the March quarter 2026. Read more

Data centre proponents could lose social licence to operate far faster than has in some cases happened in the electricity sector, given the scale and speed of proposed developments. Climate Energy Finance (CEF) and our partners at the Carbon Zero Initiative are calling for a set of binding public interest principles that would shape the emergence of the data centre sector in Australia. Read more

The Noosa Power & Energy Conference convenes June 15-16 at Peppers Resort, Noosa Heads – a working forum to assess the state of play in the energy transition and what’s required to bridge the gap to 82% renewables. Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance Australasia: “The picture is not all doom and gloom. Private households have invested almost $10 billion in just 11 months to deploy over 400,000 home battery systems. It is amazing to see the scale of deployment, showing we can mobilise the skilled workforce needed at speed when the pricing and incentives align. Australia simply needs to go faster.” Read more

Australia’s smelters will keep needing taxpayer bailouts unless governments create a publicly backed clean energy model that can deliver reliable, affordable power for heavy industry. Read more

Tim Buckley, founder and director of Climate Energy Finance, a think tank focusing on Australia’s green transition, told China Daily that it is “critical we work with China and learn from the best technology in the world”. “I’m amazed by the robotic advances,” he said. “Australia worries about our high cost of labor, you don’t have that problem in China because you’re building the world’s best robots, which means we can learn from China about robotics, engineering and supply chains, and partner together.” Read more