WA’s ‘Just Transition’ is a pathway to a new future for the coal town of Collie
Western Australia’s McGowan Government has released a ‘Just Transition’ framework for the town of Collie, a town which has been at the centre of the state’s energy generation for a century. With the rise of renewables spelling the end of coal, the Government is looking to support the town as it seeks to reinvent itself in this ‘crucial phase’ of the energy transition.
‘If they felt more secure, I don’t think they’d go after environmental charities’
In a strangely petty tit-for-tat, Energy Networks Australia has come out against the Grattan Institute’s November ‘Flame Out’ report, which called for, among other things, a moratorium on new gas connections in houses.
VIC sets new energy efficiency targets for reductions in bills and emissions
Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, has announced accelerated targets for the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, a way for Victorians to save on their bills and contribute to the state’s emissions reduction targets.
Passing gas … on the road to renewables
The Climate Council has published a report to put the final nail in the outdated notion of gas as a transition fuel, and to nix the validity of a gas-led recovery.
WA completes first installations of $6 million in solar for public housing
As part of the Western Australian Government’s WA Recovery Plan, $6 million in funding was provided for a Smart Energy for Social Housing program. The program, which should see 500 properties fitted out with solar systems, got underway recently with the first 10 homes already basking in summer savings.
Electric buses coming early, NSW to transition entire fleet by 2030
New South Wales Minister for Transport and Roads, Andrew Constance, has announced an accelerated 2030 target for the transition of the NSW Government’s 8,000 strong bus fleet. With buses moving that quick Sandra Bullock must be behind the wheel.
QCC warns Queensland losing renewables race
The Queensland Government will invest $500 million in the development of publicly owned solar and wind farms over the next four years but the Queensland Conservation Council (QCC) has warned the state “risks being left behind” the rest of Australia in its transition to renewable energy.
Asian Development Bank provides more than $1bn finance for renewables power lines
The development lender has followed up a $600 million loan for distribution infrastructure in eastern Indonesia with a $430 million credit line for installations in India.
WA Government stepping in to support lithium producers waiting for the boom
The Western Australian Government going to provide a temporary royalty rebate scheme for three lithium producers and their employees are who struggling in the face of low prices. Prices have fallen for the first time since 2014 as spodumene concentrate supply is being oversupplied in advance of the electric vehicle and energy storage boom which hasn’t quite hit yet.
Work begins on German-Australian “hydrogen bridge”
The joint-feasibility study into green hydrogen production and trade between Australia and Germany has officially begun, work on what the German Federal Minister of Research has dubbed the “Wasserstoffbrücke,” or “hydrogen bridge”.
