Oceania

Woodside says it has secured an agreement with the traditional owners for land on which it plans to build the first 50 MW stage of what could eventually expand to be a 500 MW solar power plant in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The Queensland government’s push for 70% of the state’s energy supply to come from renewables by 2032 has received a boost with the completed 162 MW Columboola Solar Farm in the state’s Western Downs region now sending renewable energy to the grid.

Australian renewables developer Energy Estate has signed a consortium of “globally recognised partners” to accelerate the development of a large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production and export facility in north Queensland.

Resource-sector heavyweight Rio Tinto is planning to invest $600 million (USD 402 million) building two new solar farms and battery energy storage systems in the Pilbara region of Western Australia as part of the company’s efforts to decarbonise its iron ore operations.

In a decidedly confusing announcement, Swedish molten aluminium storage startup Azelio says it has secured a conditional order from relatively unknown Australian company MPG Built. Azelio says the order will see it provide “energy-as-a-service” using five of its TES.POD storage units combined with solar power.

Environmental approval from the government of South Australia means Renascor Resources is now a step closer to realising its integrated graphite supply chain. Graphite is a key component in lithium-ion battery production and Renascor’s South Australian deposit is considered the largest outside of Africa.

Woodside has won out over Fortescue Future Industries to deliver the proposed Southern Green Hydrogen megaproject in New Zealand’s Southland. The 600 MW project intends to produce green hydrogen for export using power from partner Meridian Energy’s hydroelectric plant.

Described as a “masterclass” in shareholder activism, Perth-based mining technology company TNG Limited, owner of the major vanadium Mount Peake Project, has had its leadership team collapse with former AFR columnist elected as the new director, winning 95% of the vote during the company’s AGM.

The First Nations Clean Energy Network, a group launched in November 2021 to ensure Indigenous communities share in the benefits from renewables, is releasing new guides to help industry and government engage with First Nations communities.

Civil and building works have now been completed on the site of the Northern Territory’s $45 million (USD 30.2 million) big battery, known as the Darwin-Katherine Battery Energy Storage System. The 35 MVA battery is being delivered by Hitachi Energy and will deploy Virtual Synchronous Machine technology, allowing it to provide virtual inertia and system strength services to the grid.