Battery metals: How quickly can supply ramp up?
A couple of weeks ago, Goldman Sachs sent shockwaves through battery metals markets, issuing a prediction that cobalt and lithium in particular were due for a sharp price decline in the next two years. But London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is loudly pushing back, outlining its reasons why it believes the call on lithium was wrong. Meanwhile, US analyst Wood Mackenzie says that the battery raw material chain will remain tight, but notes that recycling could help to ease the supply deficit.
Kean granted emergency powers to control energy crisis
New South Wales Energy Minister Matt Kean said the state government is unlikely to use new emergency powers granted to ensure energy supply is maintained after the market operator advised conditions in the grid were improving.
Bowen aiming to ‘unleash’ investment in renewable energy market
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen has declared Australia is “under new management” and determined to “unleash private investment” in new clean energy projects, urging the sector to take advantage of the opportunities available in the renewable energy market.
Bowen stresses importance of transition to renewables as energy crisis continues
The Federal Energy Minister insists the Australian Energy Market Operator’s market intervention demonstrates that it is “more important than ever to manage the transition and get more energy into the system and more storage and transmission”.
Tasmania seeks investor interest to help shape state’s first REZ
The Tasmanian government is calling for registrations of interest from developers of new large-scale renewable generators and energy storage projects, and existing and proposed energy intensive load projects to participate in shaping the state’s first renewable energy zone.
UN chief warns more fossil fuel investment is ‘delusional’
As Australia battles an energy crisis, the United Nations secretary general has called for increased investment in renewables, saying it is the only “true path to energy security”, warning new funding from governments for fossil fuel exploration or production is simply “delusional”.
‘Much too naive’: extent of market cornering in energy crisis underplayed, analyst says
As Australia’s energy crisis deepens with Queensland and NSW again cautioned over potential blackouts in the coming hours, director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Bruce Mountain, told pv magazine Australia commentators have underplayed the extent to which energy generators have exacerbated the emergency. Government intervening to take charge of the energy market is, for him, the most likely outcome as generators withholding capacity increasingly threatens to cause massive losses in state economies.
Ministers sign off on clean energy transition plans
Australian federal and state governments have agreed to a suite of reforms designed to tackle soaring energy prices, including creating a national transition plan to phase out fossil fuels, financing projects to boost the nation’s electricity grid, and progressing designs for a new capacity mechanism.
Wine not? Treasury Wine Estates set to install 9,500 solar panels
Penfolds owner Treasure Wine Estates will install more than 9,500 solar panels across its Barossa and Karadoc wineries as the company seeks to become 100% renewable by 2024. To achieve that goal the company says it is preparing to install 29,000 solar panels across its vineyards worldwide, while also purchasing offsite renewables.
NSW rolls out residential solar program for estimated 1 million homes
About 1 million New South Wales households will be able to apply for an upfront payment of almost $3,000 to put towards a solar system or energy-saving upgrades to home appliances as part of a new state government program designed to reduce energy bills as power prices soar.
