Sustainability

Seven transmission projects valued at $7.9 billion are declared newly actionable in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s 2024 Integrated System Plan, to progress the 10,000 km of new transmission lines needed to achieve a net zero economy by 2050.

The Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest Integrated System Plan has stamped the role rooftop solar will play in the nation’s energy transition, revealing that the total capacity of rooftop PV and other distributed solar in the nation’s main grid is forecast to rise from 21 GW to 86 GW by 2050.

Power giant AGL Energy has teamed with Melbourne-based solar panel recycling company Elecsome to explore the development of a PV materials recovery facility at the site of the coal-fired Bayswater power plant in the New South Wales Hunter Region.

New South Wales power grid owner Transgrid is looking at rolling out up to 14 synchronous condensers and 4.8 GW of batteries with ‘grid forming’ capability to protect and strengthen the security and stability of the electricity grid as coal-fired power plants retire and more renewables come online.

Former New South Wales energy minister Matt Kean has been appointed the new chair of the federal government’s Climate Change Authority.

Australia’s first national Capacity Investment Scheme auction has been inundated with expressions of interest, with the federal government revealing that investors have tabled 40 GW of new renewable energy generation projects such as wind and solar.

Legislation to establish the Energy Security Corporation has passed in the New South Wales parliament and will be seeded with $1 billion for accelerating private clean energy investments, and specifically not to invest in nuclear or carbon capture and storage.

The Australian Capital Territory’s first of three Integrated Energy Plans paves the way to an all-electric, zero emissions future, starting with a focus on a just transition for all residents.

The first of 18 electric buses to be manufactured in Perth as part of a joint $250 million Western Australian and federal government initiative has been rolled out as the state pushes ahead with plans to decarbonise its public transport system.

Ibrahim Ariffin and JP Grayda, from Afry Management Consulting, examine two promising ASEAN markets, the Philippines and Malaysia, and the challenges they face as they strive to hit renewable energy targets. The long-term outlook is broadly positive, despite some uncertainties.