Our work

China Energy Policy Analyst Xuyang Dong argues that, despite the declining hydropower caused by climate change-led drought and heatwaves in China, China’s ambition and determination on energy transition remains intact. China showed heavier reliance on coal in May, while continues renewable expansion at the same time. Read more

Tim Buckley’s presentation to the June 2023 WA Renewables and Critical Minerals Superpower Summit details the extraordinary opportunity for WA to lead the world in renewables powered, value added critical minerals processing in the context of a massive global acceleration in energy transition policy and public and private capital flows. Read more

We analyse the Australian Critical Minerals Strategy 2023-2030 released today by the Federal Government. The focus on leveraging international trade agreements and partnerships to position Australia in global supply chain is laudable. However, the new funding – $500m to NAIF to support downstream processing – is a drastic underinvestment in the sector that fails to respond both to the scale of Australia’s opportunity as a potential world leader in value-adding our geostrategic minerals reserves onshore using our abundant renewables, and to the ambition of our trade partners and competitors the world over, such as the game changing ~$US800bn Inflation Reduction Act that is actively reshaping global energy dynamics. Read more

CEF sees unprecedented trade and investment opportunities, in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars, for Australia to “ship sunshine”, embodying decarbonisation in its exports by using its solar and wind energy to process its world-leading critical minerals reserves, and to power manufacturing of energy transition materials. Australia has a once in a century opportunity for investment in renewables, exports, technology and employment, including in and driven by solar. It should seize it. Read more

In this new position paper, Janaline Oh, executive director of Diplomats for Climate Action, and CEF director Tim Buckley identify 5 urgent finance reforms the federal government should put in place so as to mobilise capital at the scale and speed needed to secure Australia’s opportunity to position itself as a critical minerals and energy transition leader in a rapidly decarbonising world – including leveraging our world leading super capital pool and our nation-building, infrastructure and energy transition funding authorities such as the Future Fund and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. Read more

China remains ahead in leading global cleantech investment during its domestic renewable energy expansion. While the investment in renewables is unevenly split across the world, China continues to mobilise capital to the Global South to help developing countries in energy transition. 2023 is the tipping point for China to peak its coal use as well as its emissions. Australia should seize this opportunity to work with China, as well as other countries, in order to become a renewable superpower. Read more

Overnight, US President Biden and Australian PM Albanese announced a groundbreaking bilateral agreement which will increase cooperation between the two countries on energy transition, with a focus on critical minerals and cleantech supply chain. Read our initial analysis of what this means for Australia, especially in the context of the massive $800bn US inflation Reduction Act turbocharging energy transition there. Read more

As APPEA members and lobbyists gather for the annual gas shills’ jamboree and talkfest, we take a forensic look at Resources Minister Madeleine King’s keynote address, and deconstruct the baseless claim that we need more gas – when what we need is a fast, dramatic and wholesale pivot to value-adding critical minerals and energy transition materials onshore, backed by a landmark injection of public investment. With the world responding to the game-changing $1tn US Inflation Reduction Act, we delay, we lose. And the train is leaving the station. Read more

Tim Buckley’s presentation to the board of Argo Investments takes a deep dive into global energy transition, looking at major policy initiatives and capital inflows accelerating decarbonisation in the US, China, India, the EU, Canada and Korea, with a focus the implications for Australian policy and investment. Read more

The Federal Budget is a mixed bag for climate and energy with a serious case of underreach on fixing the failed PRRT gas tax, but some good policy and funding progress on a National Net Zero Authority, energy bill relief and home and business electrification, and measures to respond to the global race to renewables, such as $2bn for a green Hydrogen Headstart program – all in the context of a massive surprise $4.2bn surplus. However, we need to see more fiscal ambition to respond to game-changing international policy and funding reforms such as the US Inflation Reduction Act that are turbocharging global energy transition. Read more

Tim Buckley’s presentation to the Smart Energy Council conference looks at the massive global acceleration of decarbonisation, including via the funding and policy reforms of Biden’s IRA which has turbocharged the transition in the US. What are the implications for the imminent Federal Budget if Australia to position itself as a global leader in the new cleantech world economy? Read more

CEF’S Matt Pollard updates his analysis of global EV sales in the first quarter of 2023, to include newly released figures from VW, as momentum accelerates globally. Read more