Oceania

Australian electricity gen-tailer EnergyAustralia will investigate the feasibility of installing a 500 MW/2000 MWh big battery energy storage system adjacent to its 1.4 GW Mount Piper coal-fired power station in New South Wales.

The Western Australia government is partnering with United Kingdom-based electrolyser manufacturer ITM Power and Germany’s Linde Engineering in a $450,000 (USD 278,106) study to develop a business case for the manufacturing of renewable hydrogen electrolysers within the state.

Core Lithium’s Finniss Lithium Project just south of Darwin’s Port opened this week, supplying battery-grade lithium to electric vehicle giant Tesla, among others. Core Lithium plans to open processing facilities at the site by early next year.

Australia-based energy investment manager Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has sold a 49% stake in a massive $1.9 million (USD 1.2 billion) solar PV and battery energy storage project being developed in the United States to a Dutch pension asset manager.

A German startup backed by major European entrepreneurs and brands this week began the first of many strategic acquisitions in Australia, seeking to create a cross-country network and become a ‘one stop shop’ for renewable technologies with a major marketshare. Chris Williams, the founder of Natural Solar and now the CEO of 1komma5’s APAC arm, told pv magazine Australia the goal is to become the “Apple store of energy” – an opportunity he believes is well within reach given the institutional capital and scale behind the German outfit.

On the back of recent capital investment from a Canadian pension fund, NovaSource Power Services has made its first big move in the Australian market with the acquisition of First Solar’s 500 MW of operations and maintenance assets.

Australian company Vast Solar’s plans to expand into the rapidly growing North American renewable energy market have received a multi-million dollar boost after the United States government announced more than $38 million (USD 24 million) in grants to advance the development of concentrated solar thermal power technologies.

A 2.8 GW solar-powered green hydrogen export project being developed on the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory has taken the next step towards securing environmental and planning approval with developer Provaris Energy lodging an assessment referral with the federal government.

Australian minerals explorer Allup Silica aims to target the booming solar panel industry after independent tests confirmed the presence of premium silica sands – a key component of high-end glass manufacturing – at its Sparkler project in Western Australia.

The head of the country’s energy market operator has reiterated his call for the development of a mechanism that incentivises dispatchable capacity, saying it is critical to underpin the growth of renewables as Australia’s energy transition continues to accelerate.