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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

A new report released today by independent public interest think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF), SUPERPOWERING-UP, with a foreword by former chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel, finds that failure to act now to electrify and decarbonise WA’s Pilbara region – Australia’s resources engine room and the world’s biggest exporter of iron ore – risks Australia’s biggest single future export opportunity: to potentially double our iron exports to $250bn pa by producing green iron. Read more

Environmental approval processes are obstructing critical renewable energy infrastructure needed to develop a lucrative green steel industry in Western Australia’s resource-rich Pilbara, experts warn. A Climate Energy Finance report estimates Australia has the potential to double its iron export value to $250 billion by producing green iron, but not if it loses out to international competitors because governments and industry fail to develop the sector. Former Australian chief scientist Alan Finkel said the country’s regulatory systems were “too complex, unbalanced and slow”, with environmental approvals potentially obstructing critical renewable energy infrastructure. Read more

As Climate Energy Finance argues in a new report, the decarbonisation and electrification of the Pilbara should be a national priority. Part of this focus should be investment in common user infrastructure for the electricity grid to enable the rollout of large-scale solar and wind projects, and part should be initiatives such as co-location of solar and wind power with green metals refining to reduce the size of the challenge in expanding the electricity grid in the Pilbara. The consequences of acting too slowly or inefficiently will be severe. The international competition will be fierce. Brazil, South Africa and other countries can dig and ship their iron ore to countries in the Middle East, where they will use low-cost, zero emissions electricity to convert the crude iron ore into refined green iron. Read more

Syndicated widely via AAP | Australia has a “once-in-a-century opportunity” to lead the world’s green iron industry but could miss it if governments, mining firms and investors fail to take urgent action, a study has found. The 78-page report, released on Tuesday by independent think tank Climate Energy Finance, analysed the nation’s potential to transform its iron industry using renewable energy and found it could double export revenue to $250 billion a year. But it also found only two per cent of electricity used in Western Australia’s Pilbara region came from renewable sources and warned Australia could lose the opportunity to other countries if it delayed reforms. Read more

Companies in the Pilbara need to think bigger if Australia is to achieve both emissions reductions goals and if they want to capitalise on an annual $250 billion green iron opportunity, says a new report. Miners and oil and gas companies need to accelerate plans to share their energy infrastructure and create a single common-user electricity grid, says the Superpowering Up report from think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF). Ending the feudal approach to energy infrastructure in the Pilbara, where every company builds and owns generation and grids on their own patch, there is scope to add the estimated $50-100 billion of extra renewable energy generation needed to decarbonise Australia’s biggest mining region. Read more

A report released by think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) has claimed that decarbonising the Pilbara region of Western Australia is key to doubling Australian iron exports by value to $250 billion. The report, SUPERPOWERING-UP, was released on Tuesday and warns against continued inaction in greening the Pilbara’s energy supply. According to the report, only 2 per cent of the region’s electricity is from renewables, with “fragmented corporate energy production and grid transmission structures” standing in the way of progress. It identifies a single common-user electricity grid infrastructure (CUI) as the key ingredient in decarbonising the region. Read more

A new report has recommended the Pilbara invest in common-user infrastructure (CUI) to leverage Australia’s role in resources decarbonisation. ‘SUPERPOWERING-UP: Accelerating the electrification and decarbonisation of the Pilbara’ made several recommendations to the Federal Government, including investing in renewables-powered green metals refining, critical minerals processing and cleantech manufacturing. Among the recommendations to the WA Government was the prioritisation of the development of a comprehensive single CUI plan in the Pilbara region, and the legislation of the state’s Climate Change Bill 2023 to drive acceleration of net-zero across the state. Read more