Media

Tim’s interview starts at 1:06:33 in the link. The short film series Hunter at the Crossroads screens tonight in Muswellbrook, exploring local perspectives on the Upper Hunter’s coal industry. A panel will feature Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance. Tim rejected claims Australia is undermining itself by reducing domestic coal use while continuing exports, noting coal is increasingly uneconomic and investors are unwilling to fund new coal-fired power stations. In 2025, US$2.3 trillion was invested globally in clean energy, more than double fossil fuel spending, while climate-related damage costs US$1.4 trillion annually. He said coal is in structural decline, Hunter Valley exports peaked five years ago, and Australia will invest A$500 billion in energy transition over the next decade. Read more

During the current heat wave, with nighttime temperatures around 40°C, rooftop solar panels are struggling to supply energy, and household […] Read more

Tim Buckley, energy analyst and director of Climate Energy Finance, says Western Australia’s coal industry is a long-running financial and […] Read more

Origin Energy’s Eraring coal-fired power station, the state’s largest generator at just under 3,000 megawatts, was originally set to close […] Read more

Eraring power station near Newcastle will remain open until April 2029 after Origin Energy advised AEMO the extension was needed to support New South Wales during the energy transition. Tim Buckley said Australia is undertaking a rapid, real-time transformation never done before, with inevitable setbacks. Major projects such as Snowy Hydro 2.0 and EnergyConnect are delayed and over budget, affecting grid reliability. However, battery costs have halved, grid plans are shifting towards storage rather than transmission, and Australia reached a record 50.1 per cent renewable share in late 2025, with power prices falling 28 per cent. Tim said flexibility, not permanence, explains Eraring’s extension. Read more

Analyst Tim Buckley, the founder of think tank Climate Energy Finance, thinks that if Rio ends up buying Glencore’s coal mines as part of the deal “they’re probably paying more than they sold them for, having missed several years of very nice profits”. Buckley says coal miners have made “obscene profits” in recent years as the transition to clean energy slowed due to the influence of Donald Trump and prices soared due to Vladimir Putin. “There was some massive windfall war profiteering going on with Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” he says. But he says costs have also soared and “when prices go back to anything like normal it’s going to be ugly”. Read more

Tim Buckley says Australia’s power grid is vulnerable in heatwaves because it was built 50–70 years ago and not designed for frequent 40–45°C temperatures. Extreme weather is increasing due to climate change driven by fossil fuels, making resilience upgrades essential. The issue is grid resilience, not just generation type. Old transmission lines over long distances are prone to heat, bushfires and shutdowns. Buckley argues for major investment in modernisation, including microgrids, batteries, rooftop solar and the ability for remote towns to operate independently during outages. These solutions are now cheaper, faster to deploy and more reliable than maintaining ageing infrastructure. Read more

A new report on transforming and decarbonising the Whyalla steelworks argues that South Australia should prioritise renewable energy and future […] Read more

Tim Buckley, founder of Clean Energy Finance, argues that Whyalla’s steelworks must shift quickly to renewable energy rather than rely […] Read more

A Climate Energy Finance report warns taxpayers may face $2 billion in additional subsidies for gas supply and new infrastructure if BlueScope takes over the Whyalla Steelworks and pursues a gas-based sustainability plan. The group says there is no spare pipeline capacity, meaning a new 160-km pipeline, estimated at $500 million, would be required, alongside long-term subsidies due to Australia’s exceptionally high domestic gas prices. Co-author Tim Buckley argues this approach would lock in methane for decades, urging instead that similar public investment support renewable-powered green iron and electric arc furnace steelmaking, which he says is commercially viable and consistent with climate goals. Read more

Tim Buckley, director of Climate Energy Finance at the Public Interest think tank, says coal is definitely declining, even in […] Read more

Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance, told ABC Illawarra that Australia’s manufacturing sector is in serious decline due to […] Read more