The potential role for nuclear power as part of Australia’s energy transition is frequently raised in both the media and as part of everyday conversation. My view is that nuclear will play no role for at least the next three decades and beyond that ...
No New Coal and Gas
The Greens grudgingly voted with the federal ALP government to amend the Safeguard Mechanism legislation, a key plank in the government’s 43% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction plan (1). In so doing, they have temporarily shelved their demand that the ...
Rare Earths
The transition to zero carbon energy will mean less coal, oil and gas but more of the steel, cement and fiberglass needed for wind turbines, more crystalline silicon for solar panels and lots of lithium and copper for batteries and transmission. Ze ...
Politics and the Safeguard Mechanism
As discussed in a recent JTZC post (1), the new ALP government has increased Australia’s GHG reduction target relative to a 2005 baseline from 26 - 28% to 43% by 2030. In tonnage terms this means reducing 2030 emissions by an additional 88 million ...
Australia’s New Carbon Target
After last May’s federal election Australia’s carbon reduction target was increased from a 26-28% reduction below 2005 levels to a 43% reduction. Legislation to enable this further reduction in CO2 emissions and to “enshrine” a net zero target by 2 ...
Fossil fuel subsidies
Australian energy has seen some interesting developments over the past few months - a new, more climate focussed and aware federal government, skyrocketing energy prices which have prompted calls for price caps or windfall profit taxes and finally the po ...
Australian electricity – paying for capacity
The recent power crisis, together with a new ALP government in Canberra, has given fresh impetus to adding a capacity payment mechanism to the National Energy Market (NEM) - the single grid that links generating capacity across the entire eastern seaboar ...
Electricity – Australia compared with the ROW
Australia produces just under 1% of global electricity ranking 20th in terms of national generation. China and the US are responsible for almost half of global generation so Australia is 2% of non superpower generation. As a small but meaning ...
Victorian Gas
A few weeks ago the Commercial Director of ExxonMobil Australia (1) warned that the Victorian government’s goal (2) of reducing domestic gas usage by 50% by 2030 could stymie future investment and result in higher prices for consumers. The CEO of E ...
US coal mine closures and COP 26
In 2008 US coal production peaked at just shy of 1.2 billion short tons - 90% of this or about 1.0 billion metric tonnes was thermal coal used in US power plants. This made the US the second largest global producer of thermal coal, well behind Chin ...