Tunnelling has restarted on a troubled section of the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia after the New South Wales government issued new environmental approvals to Snowy Hydro.

Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, Telstra, is a step closer to its goal of enabling renewable energy generation equivalent to 100% of its consumption by 2025 after inking a new 153 GWh solar offtake agreement with Global Power Generation.

Australian oil and gas producer Woodside Energy’s plans to install up to one million solar panels and a grid-scale battery in Western Australia’s Pilbara region is a step closer to realisation after the project won local development approval.

The Queensland government has indicated it will support the increased rollout of household battery energy storage systems with a new $24 million (USD 15.75 million) residential battery rebate program set to be launched in 2024.

Western Australian government-owned utility Synergy’s plan to build a 500 MW/2,000 MWh battery energy storage system in the state’s southwest to improve system security and support increased renewable energy generation in the main grid has been given the tick of approval by planning authorities.

Australian solar thermal specialist Vast Renewables will look to accelerate the development of its concentrated solar power technology after securing a $16.37 million (€10 million) capital commitment from French energy giant EDF Renewables.

Canadian firm Hydrostor has struck a deal to provide back-up power to the remote New South Wales outback town of Broken Hill using a compressed air energy storage plant that will be built in an underground cavern at one of the region’s closed mines.

Australian commercial solar outfit CleanPeak Energy will deliver at least four new solar farms in regional New South Wales after striking a green energy deal with the state government that will ensure the long-term carbon neutrality of Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct.

A “major influx” of new renewable generation and storage capacity is poised to connect to Australia’s main grid with the energy market operator revealing almost 150 projects representing more than 31 GW of new capacity are in the application and pre-registration stages.

Australia’s largest electricity transmission project has hit a snag with a major union alleging transmission line workers delivering the New South Wales stretch of the $2 billion-plus (USD 1.32 billion) Project EnergyConnect electricity interconnector have been working in unsafe and non-compliant conditions.