Australia

Network operator Transgrid has shuffled the proposed route for the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector West transmission project, acknowledging that community concerns, including potential impacts on agriculture and visual amenity have had a significant influence.

Electricity gen-tailer Origin Energy is currently in talks with the New South Wales government to extend the life of Australia’s biggest coal power clunker, the hyper-expensive, high-emissions, end-of-life 2.88 GW Eraring plant, beyond its slated closure date of August 2025. The reason cited for extension is to maintain reliable and secure energy supply in our state.

The Australian government has introduced legislation to parliament to establish a new independent statutory authority that it expects will serve as a catalyst for the major project development, and private and public investment needed to support the clean energy transition.

Australia is among the countries being considered to host a large-scale battery-grade lithium processing plant after Perth-based resources company Pilbara Minerals struck a deal with Chinese battery metals giant Ganfeng Lithium.

Maxeon said it has achieved a 24.9% efficiency rating for a full-scale Maxeon 7 solar panel using its IBC technology. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) confirmed the result.

Researchers in the United States have repurposed a commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities to develop an all-liquid, iron-based redox flow battery for large-scale energy storage. Their lab-scale battery exhibited strong cycling stability over 1,000 consecutive charging cycles, while maintaining 98.7% of its original capacity.

The Queensland government has formally identified 12 potential renewable energy zones across the state as part of its plans to connect 22 GW of new grid-scale wind and solar generation needed to help achieve its clean energy targets.

Modular solar array manufacturer 5B has commenced construction of the solar component of an 89.7 MW hybrid microgrid that will help power mining company Bellevue Gold’s namesake gold mine in Western Australia with at times up to 100% renewables.

The Australian, Tasmanian and Victorian governments have signed off on a new ownership agreement to deliver the contentious Marinus Link high-voltage Tasmania-Victoria interconnection project.

The main cost of an electric vehicle is its battery. The high cost of energy-dense batteries has meant EVs have long been more expensive than their fossil fuel equivalents. But this could change faster than we thought.