Media

[On the Straits Times] China approved the building of nine gigawatts (GW) of coal power generation in the first half of 2024, down by more than 80 per cent compared with a year earlier as the nation adds renewable energy capacity in record amounts, according to a study published on Aug 22. China is the world’s top renewable energy investor and has been adding ever-growing amounts of wind and solar capacity. It added 134.5GW of renewable energy capacity in the first six months of 2024, a 25 per cent year-on-year increase, according to Australian think-tank Climate Energy Finance and China’s National Bureau of Statistics. Wind and solar comprised 128GW of this total. Read more

CWP Global has revealed that the BP-majority owned 26GW Australian Renewable Energy Hub Project (AREH), located in the iron-ore rich Pilbara region of Western Australia, has had its Major Project Status renewed by the Australian government. Critical to the success of the project will be federal and WA government support for Pilbara Green Link transmission lines to enable the mining sector’s best use of one of the most scaleable renewable energy resources anywhere in the country, CWP added. A recent report by Climate Energy Finance estimates that Australia has the potential to double the value of its annual iron exports to AUS$250bn. Read more

As SunCable gains environmental approvals from the NT Government and the Federal Government, The Australian promoting an earlier interview with Tim Buckley on Sky News in 2023 on SunCable detailing the events of SunCable’s voluntary administration. “At the end of the day, this is a very, very challenging project proposal – it’s a world first,” Mr Buckley told Sky News Australia. “A world-leading project needs to actually have sufficient government endorsement.” Read more

Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) published a report on how accelerating the electrification and decarbonisation of the Pilbara region would help the country achieve its green export goals. Called “Superpowering-Up,” the report was written by Matt Pollard, net-zero transformation analyst at CEF, and Tim Buckley, a director at the organisation. It was made available to the public on August 13. One of the report’s main findings is that single common-user grid infrastructure in the Pilbara area would be a key catalyst in speeding up decarbonisation in the region, which is the “engine room” of Australia’s resource sector. Read more

Tim Buckley speaks to the Spark Club podcast on the rise and rise of China in solar, wind, batteries and EVs. Tim follows China closely and observes trends we’re not seeing published in the broader media outlets or our podcast feeds. Part of a fortnightly conversation, sharing some of the staggering stories and stats coming out of China, starting with recent highlights, then digging into a big story and ending with a prediction or two. Read more

Tim Buckley, co-author of Climate Energy Finance’s SUPERPOWERING-UP report, speaks on WA radio channels broadcasted across Perth, Kimberley, Pilbara and regional areas, discussing the importance of accelerating decarbonisation to supply China with green iron as it increased its exports to Europe under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Read more

Concerning the failure to decarbonise in Australia’s Pilbara region, Tim Buckley, Director of Climate Energy Finance Corporation highlights, the region’s enormous natural resources and potential for renewable energy. Despite this, he points out that the remoteness of the Pilbara — along with the lack of coordinated action from local major companies such as Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), BHP (ASX: BHP), and others who have committed to their shareholders to decarbonise — impede progress in this space. For Buckley, the challenge lies in the lack of scale, lack of logistics, and lack of planning, which eventually result in challenges at a systems-level. Read more

Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) has signaled that the mineral-rich region of Pilbara, Western Australia, needs rapid investment in its transmission network to ensure renewable energy, such as solar, can help drive decarbonisation. Indeed, the Superpowering-up: Accelerating the electrification & decarbonisation of the Pilbara report signals that just 2% of the region’s electricity needs are currently being met by renewable energy, with fragmented corporate energy production and grid transmission structures undermining progress. Read more

The report, SUPERPOWERING-UP: Accelerating the electrification and decarbonisation of the Pilbara, said a single common-user electricity grid infrastructure (CUI) is the critical key to decarbonising the region and reaping the economical benefits for Australia’s green transition. As stated in the report, a CUI would unlock up to $100b of new investment in renewables, battery firming and transmission, ensuring the Pilbara’s critical minerals, strategic metals and transition materials can be processed and value-added onshore using zero-emissions power. CEF director and co-author of the report Tim Buckley says now is the time to invest in new technology developments and renewable energy infrastructure. Read more

A new report named SUPERPOWERING-UP, finds that failure to electrify and decarbonise WA’s Pilbara region risks the potential for Australia to potentially double its iron exports to $250bn pa by producing green iron. Released today by Climate Energy Finance (CEF), the report urges Australia to make use of its biggest single future export opportunity that surrounds the Pilbara, the country’s resources engine room and the world’s biggest exporter of iron ore. “The Pilbara has a significant challenge in building out large-scale infrastructure such as the transmission grid and renewable energy capacity given its harsh conditions, isolated location and high-cost labour market,” said Lead author and CEF Net Zero Transformation Analyst, Matt Pollard. Read more

A critical new report by Climate Energy Finance (CEF) underscores the urgent need to electrify and decarbonise the Pilbara region, warning that Australia’s $250 billion future green iron industry is at risk if action is not taken immediately. Released today, the report titled SUPERPOWERING-UP reveals that without decisive steps to establish a common-user electricity grid infrastructure (CUI) in the Pilbara, Australia may miss out on its largest potential export opportunity. The report emphasises that the Pilbara’s transformation is key to doubling the nation’s iron exports by producing green iron, crucial for maintaining Australia’s position as a global economic leader in the resources sector. Read more

A new Climate Energy Finance (CEF) report puts common-user electricity grid infrastructure (CUI) at the heart of the decarbonisation of Australia’s lucrative iron ore ‘food bowl’ in the Western Australia Pilbara region. The report, called Superpowering-up, says the Pilbara currently sources 2% of its electricity from renewables, hindered by “fragmented corporate energy production and grid transmission structures’. It says mining majors such as BHP Iron Ore rely on burning 2.4 billion litres/year of subsidised, high emissions imported diesel and fossil gas for energy demand in the Pilbara. Read more