Media

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

The QLD state budget released on 23 June forecasts a $6.2bn operating deficit in 2026-27, consistent with the mid-year fiscal and economic review (MYFER), a $3bn improvement from the net operating deficit forecast in the previous budget. The 2026-27 forecast would represent a marked improvement from the $8.8bn deficit estimated in the current 2025-26 period. Read more

New South Wales Treasurer Daniel Mookhey delivered the state budget for 2026-27 today. NSW’s operating position continues to improve under the Minns Labor Government since it was elected in 2023. From the $10.6bn deficit in 2022-23, the 2026-27 budget forecasts a $2.3bn deficit, returning to a $1.1bn surplus by 2027-28 and continuing in surplus through 2029-30. 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

The ABC Business segment reports that the Middle East conflict and resulting oil supply disruptions have intensified concerns about fuel security and rising diesel costs, prompting many Australian businesses to accelerate plans to electrify their operations. Read more

The explosion of batteries on the market means energy can be stored and released during what would otherwise be peak time and cost of electricity usage. That has had a major impact on the broader electricity grid, Climate Energy Finance’s Tim Buckley said. “We just saw from the Australian Energy Market Operator that batteries are now setting the price of electricity upwards of 30 per cent of the time,” Mr Buckley said. Read more

On 9 June at the Hawthorn Arts Centre, Melbourne, Dr Ryan was joined in conversation by renowned global energy analyst Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance and an expert in green energy finance, markets, and risk. The discussion explored how Australia could pivot towards energy self-sufficiency in its transport, agricultural, manufacturing, and mining industries while minimising dependence on fragile fossil fuel supply chains. They also examined whether the US–Israel–Iran conflict could serve as an impetus for Australia to rapidly electrify its economy. Read more