Markets & Policy

Tasmanian farmers are set to turn to solar PV to cut energy costs with the state-owned irrigation authority announcing plans to install solar arrays at up to 13 existing pump station sites around the state, offsetting electricity usage and generating surplus power to be fed back into the grid.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is exploring different paths to 100% emissions-free electricity in the United States.

WA company St George Mining has found indications its nickel project in the north-eastern Goldfields of Western Australia could also be home to “significant” amounts of lithium. The discovery sits alongside recent findings from miners Red Dirt Metals, Zenith Minerals and Hancock, Hawthorn Resources.

Spanish company Iberdrola has committed to investing between €2 billion to €3 billion (AU$2.95b – $4.4b) in renewable projects in Australia, aiming for a 4 GW portfolio here “in the coming years.”

Newly appointed CEO of Fortescue Future Industries Mark Hutchinson has made it clear that demand for green hydrogen has already far outstripped the company’s upcoming 2 GW electrolyser factory in Gladstone, Queensland. The announcement of new investments in green hydrogen plants from Fortescue Future Industries is now expected in the near future.

Canadian battery developer Zinc8 Energy Solutions has announced plans to begin battery production in the United States, incentivised by manufacturing production credits in the US Inflation Reduction Act.

New South Wales is seeking 2,500 GWh of annual generation and 600 MW of long-duration storage for its first tender, part of realising its ambitious NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap.

Brisbane-based bioenergy company LGI Limited has listed on the ASX, seeking to raise $25 million for expansions, including fitting sites with batteries capable of playing on spot markets. For the company’s founder, Adam Bloomer, the role of bioenergy in Australia only makes real sense when limited to waste. “If it’s is not a waste stream, I think you’re barking up the wrong tree,” he tells pv magazine Australia.

Australian gas company APA Group has signed a third offtake agreement for its 88 MW Mica Creek Solar Farm, currently under construction in Queensland’s mining hub.

BMW Group said it is targeting the premium segment with its iX5 Hydrogen car, Topsoe revealed that it will invest US$267 million (AU$392m) to build the world’s largest SOEC electrolyzer plant in Denmark, and Bosch announced plans to invest US$200 million (AU$292m) in US fuel cell production.