As a relatively high-emission economy in a decarbonising world, Australia has a lot at stake. Decisions beyond Australia’s control will determine the fate of 95 percent of the 30,000 direct jobs that may be at risk in its key export industries. The articles talks about the impact of going “carbon light” in industries.
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New Horizons Ahead (NHOA), previously known as Engie EPS, has been awarded a 200 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Australia. According to a company statement, the project’s building phase will begin immediately at an as-yet-undisclosed location for an unnamed customer, with completion expected by the end of 2022.
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Iberdrola, a Spanish electric utility, has purchased the under development Avonlie solar project owned by the UK-based RES. The project is located in New South Wales, Australia. It has a generating capacity of 245 MW dc/190 MW ac. When fully operational, the project will have 450,000 solar panels installed on a single axis tracking system.
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Australia has committed to providing $180 million in grants to support the development of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) projects, part of a broader technology push to help cut carbon emissions, while still allowing for the use of gas and coal. The funds will be used to support the design and construction of carbon capture hubs and shared infrastructure, as well as carbon capture technology research and commercialization, and the identification of viable carbon storage sites.
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Australia’s largest corporations are making ambitious commitments to decarbonise, with many announcing plans to become carbon neutral by 2050. The pathways to achieving these goals are likely to be varied and multi-faceted. In the short term, companies can consider procuring renewable sourced energy or purchasing offsets and increasing energy efficiencies, but there are some hard-to-abate areas that will require longer-term solutions.
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ACE Power, financed by the German investment holding Pelion Green Future, has recently entered the Australian renewable energy market, with a pipeline of approximately 1.3 GW of solar, wind and battery storage projects. The company’s operations will span across the development, construction, ownership and operation of renewable energy assets.
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Sweetman Renewables Limited and Singapore’s CAC-H2 Private Limited have entered into a joint venture to establish a hydrogen production center of excellence. The center will be located in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. The deal amounts to an investment of AUS $15 million from CAC-H2, in return for 80 per cent ownership in Sweetman Renewables.
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Australia CO2-free Hydrogen Supply Chain in Queensland. A memorandum of understanding has been signed to conduct a study on a potential business collaboration for the development of a CO2-free hydrogen supply chain between Japan and Australia.
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ustralia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation launched a new research mission to drive down the cost of hydrogen production to under $2 per kilogram and position Australia to lead the world in exporting hydrogen by 2030. Under the Mission, more than 100 projects worth $68 million have been proposed over the next five years. The goal of this Mission is to support the vision of a clean and competitive hydrogen industry for Australia by delivering research, development, and demonstration partnerships that help make Australia’s hydrogen markets a reality.
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Australia has some of the best renewable energy resources in the world, and right now it has the best ever opportunity to harness them for national and global good. WWF’s Renewable Superpower Scorecard presents a snapshot of how Australia’s state, territory and federal governments are performing in the race to become a renewable superpower.
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Both domestic and foreign investors point to a slightly more favourable outlook for state versus federal policy, APAC-based investors in particular (96%). European investors are the notable exception with 66% expecting state policies to be supportive versus 81% for federal policies. Australia-based investors are marginally less positive about government support than they were in the previous survey with 91% anticipating supportive policies from state government and 85% from federal government, versus 90% overall (federal and state) in the 2019 study.
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The Finniss Lithium Project has completed its first product test work and has confirmed that it is producing “battery-grade” lithium hydroxide monohydrate. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation carried out tests from a sample of its product and successfully extracted over 95 per cent of lithium on two-kilogram samples of blended concentrate in two separate tests.
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Singapore-based manufacturer, Sun Cable has applied with the Development Consent Authority of Australia’s Northern Territory to build a facility that will manufacture Maverick solar array systems, designed by 5B. Sun Cable plans to build the manufacturing facility in East Arm Business Park in Darwin, which is close to the city’s port. Sun Cable reports that the construction of the project will begin immediately after financial close in October 2023, with commercial operations to begin in 2027.
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The Queensland state government has proposed installing five large-scale, network-connected batteries as part of a community battery trial. The batteries will have a cumulative capacity of 40 MWh and will be installed at substations in Townsville, Yeppoon, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, and Toowoomba. Energy Queensland-owned sites have been identified for this trial where there is high penetration of solar on the network and deployment can occur as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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Energy Australia has announced that it will close the Yallourn power station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley in mid-2028, four years ahead of schedule, and build a 350 MW battery instead. The 1,480 MW brown coal-fired plant currently produces about 22 per cent of Victoria’s electricity and is the oldest power station in the state. With the shutting down of the Yallourn power station reduce, Energy Australia’s carbon dioxide emissions are expected to fall by over 60 per cent.
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The South Australia government has approved the planning of a wind, solar and batter storage project with a budget of $3 billion, called the Goyder South project. The project is being developed by Neoen, and will consist of 1,200MW of wind power capacity, 600MW of solar power capacity, and up to 900MW/1,800MWh of battery storage capacity. The Goyder South project will be located near Burra in Southern Australia.
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Woodside Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Tasmanian Government outlining the state’s support for the company’s H2TAS project, which is a proposed renewable hydrogen production facility in Bell Bay. The signing of this MoU demonstrates support for companies, such as Woodside, looking to develop the hydrogen industry in Tasmania.
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In light of rapid uptake of renewables, Australia is looking to improve its power grid’s stability to counter generation risks and overburdening of the transmission system. The country’s transmission system and grid lines were initially developed for coal-generated energy. Thus, there is a need for an overhaul to accommodate the penetration of renewables.
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Precinct Capital and Edify have proposed a 28 MW battery storage project in New South Wales. The project is set to occupy 1.5 acres in the Mayfield Steel River Industrial Estate in the City of Newcastle. The battery will charge and discharge directly from the grid and is expected to improve stability as renewable energy use is increased. Further, the storage system will occupy 2500 square metres and will include supporting infrastructures such as climate-controlled energy storage enclosures and grid connection.
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As Australia works towards its goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050, the Climate Change National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020 comes at a crucial time to aid the cause. IEEFA comments on components of the Climate Change Bill 2020, and provides more detail on the increasing pressure being brought to bear by globally significant financial institutions as well as Australia’s major trading partners.
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