Oceania

Australian energy utility AGL’s large-scale battery energy storage strategy has received a major boost with a 50 MW/100 MWh battery project planned for the outback city of Broken Hill getting the tick of approval from the New South Wales state government.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has confirmed Energy Developments Limited is poised to begin construction of a new solar farm and battery energy storage system that will more than triple the solar PV generation capacity at the Anglo-Australian multinational’s $2.6 billion bauxite mining operation at Weipa in far north Queensland.

The Australian Energy Regulator has filed a lawsuit against the Hornsdale Power Reserve, which is owned and operated by French renewable energy developer Neoen, alleging it failed to provide the grid security services it was paid to deliver.

In reportedly the largest ever contested resolution in Australian corporate history, 55% of AGL shareholders have this afternoon voted for the company to adopt Paris-aligned climate targets in both of its demerged businesses.

A bidding war to buy AusNet and its Victorian electricity and gas assets has broken out between Canadian-headquartered Brookfield and Australia’s largest gas pipeline operator, APA Group.

Renewables developer Edify Energy has been granted development approval to build and operate a green hydrogen production plant of up to 1 GW, as well as a behind-the-meter solar and battery storage facility within the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct in Townsville, northern Queensland. 

Oil and gas giant Santos on Tuesday fronted up to Australia’s federal court, kicking off proceedings filed against it by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO). Pv magazine Australia spoke to the EDO and its client about the precedent they hope to set with the case.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are testing technology which claims to increase the output of hydrogen fuel cells by as much as 60%, put forth by Australian transport technology company, Titan Hydrogen.

The federal government has announced it will extend its prospective national network of clean hydrogen hubs to each of Australia’s states. The move was welcomed by a number of industry bodies, though some say the program doesn’t go far enough with government spending still lagging our European counterparts.

Power and water are a classic utility couple. SA Water has switched up the relationship with another solar plant energised in its massive solar rollout that is set to save on both costs and carbon.