Legal

A number of Australian critical minerals, including lithium, miners and refiners will likely be ineligible for IRA subsidies after the US government published its draft rules forbidding access to enterprises with over a 25% stake held by Chinese companies or “cumulatively” by Chinese investors.

A Queensland court has fined a subcontractor providing piling services at Columboola Solar Farm* $40,000 (USD 26,300) for failing to comply with a health and safety standards after an aerosol can explosion caused a metal bar to strike a worker.

Origin shareholders have voted down the Brookfield-led takeover bid, likely ending what would have been one of Australia’s largest corporate buyouts. The failure of the deal concludes 18-months of bids by private capital to accelerate the sluggish transition of Australia’s two biggest ‘gentailers.’

Energy giant BP announced today it would take full ownership of solar and wind energy developer Lightsource BP once a deal – pertaining to the purchase of the remaining renewables company’s shares BP does not own – goes through next year.

The Victorian government will repay, with interest, electric vehicle owners who paid a road-user charge later deemed unconstitutional by Victoria’s High Court.

Extreme weather is a growing risk to solar farms. Future-proofing through advanced technologies, leveraging data from novel sources, and by building both collaboration and acceptance of risk is vital, but rarely achieved today for a number of reasons. Insurers, lenders, developers, contractors and manufacturers come together here to discuss solutions to the intractable problem of weather risk.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has selected a new body to take over the role of accrediting solar installers and designers, a position previously held by the Clean Energy Council. The new organisation will be formally announced in February, 2024, with solar installers given three months to transition to the new scheme at no extra fee.

The NSW government has published a suite of draft guidelines for renewable projects, most notably proposing community benefit sharing fees of $850/MW per annum for solar, and $1050/MW for wind. While the guidelines are an attempt to level the playing field between communities, local councils, and big developers, some fear the proposed rules could undercut ongoing negotiations.

Province Resources, a Perth-based company developing an 8 GW green hydrogen project in the state’s Gascoyne region, has had additional licences granted by the WA government covering an area over 600,000 hectares, including over 864 hectares of the seabed near Carnarvon needed for export.

Neoen’s Capital battery project in Canberra is facing significant delays due to connection compliance testing, with the company flagging potential for it to pursue damages from EPC contractor Doosan GridTech. The completed battery was expected to be operational in early 2023.