Highlights

The board of Australian lithium developer Liontown Resources has backed a refreshed $6.6 billion (USD 4.3 billion) bid from US company Albemarle Corp., the world’s largest lithium producer. Since then, Liontown has seen a massive spike in trading, with speculation about it being linked to Australia’s richest person.

For the first time, 10 kW solar systems have now become cheaper than the 6.6 kW range on a per kilowatt basis, SunWiz analysis has found. Plus, solar lead generation is up even though fewer customers are proactively searching for systems.

An alliance of eight Sydney councils have saved their ratepayers over $36 million (USD 23 million) by organising 100% renewable energy power purchasing agreements and working together on local energy projects.

With its critical-mineral riches, Australia is seeking to process and manufacture materials to capture more of the energy transition value chain. While logical, the path is already proving onerous and is hampered by the nation’s apparent allergy to boldness.

A panel of experts debated how plausible it is for Australia to enter the battery manufacturing space, and acting-CEO of one of the only companies to produce lithium hydroxide in Australia, IGO, discussed the acute challenges of setting up a refinery onshore during the WA Renewables and Critical Minerals Superpower Summit on Monday.

Queensland has opened its first Queensland SuperGrid Training Centre and Transmission Hub in Gladstone. The facility is expected to train 500 energy workers annually in a range of areas, including high voltage technical training.

Victoria’s newly released state budget includes $1 billion (USD 670 million) for the resurrected government energy outfit, the State Electricity Commission, almost $200 million for clean energy education, as well as funding to streamline critical minerals projects and to install 100 new neighbourhood batteries.

A prestigious award, along with $3.7 million (USD 2.5 million) has been awarded to University of Wollongong electrochemist Professor Gerhard Swiegers for his efficiency breakthrough for hydrogen electrolysers, which are currently being commercialised by startup Hysata.

India will use its internal market to scale up hydrogen projects, with Germany as a possible export destination. As part of a broader strategy, the countries will collaborate on a financial and technological level on energy transition projects.

The Australian government has presented its 2023-2024 budget, with $2 billion (USD 1.35 billion) to be invested in hydrogen, while Austria, Germany, and Italy said they have started moving forward on a southern hydrogen corridor from North Africa to Northern Europe.