Hey Reader, in today's edition: Coal extensions face growing risks Data centre energy warning Projects rush to end-of-year deadline Legal danger and targets in jeopardy from NSW coal Current planning assessment process and decision-making guidelines in NSW are inadequate to respond to impacts of coal mining on climate change, according to the Net Zero Commission. Continued extensions or expansions to thermal coal projects in NSW are also contrary to climate change laws, and regional coal...
2 days ago • 7 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: ISP missed a trick Poor solar forecasting costing millions Pricing review offers rules for a two-way flow Role of gas 'routinely overstated' in ISP The roadmap for Australia’s “lowest cost” net-zero energy transition missed a trick on the power of distributed energy resources (DER) to relieve pressure on the grid and curtail the expense of new gas generation. Issued by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) this week, with an expanded scope after a...
3 days ago • 10 min read
Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy's weekly data newsletter. This week we explore the market operator's latest Integrated System Plan. Hot topic Two of the most disputed documents about Australia’s energy transition are released amid December's annual endurance test of Christmas deadlines and office parties. Today's draft 2026 Integrated System Plan comes after two years of exhaustive consultation and hotly contested debate about the pace of transition envisioned by its 2024 predecessor. (The...
4 days ago • 5 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Can PolarBlue revive hydrogen? Fixing the east coast gas mess Power bill rebates to be switched off How PolarBlue plans to upend energy A month ago mysterious energy upstart PolarBlue took out a wraparound advertisement in the AFR Weekend claiming to be the answer to the aluminium industry’s prayers for “Clean, reliable, zero-emission energy that costs less than fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear”. But it gave no more details. Today, The Energy’s Ben Potter...
5 days ago • 6 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: The missed China opportunity Red flags on Ausgrid ruling Another blow to offshore wind Vulnerability or opportunity as China rises Australia risks being one of the world’s losers as the sheer scale and depth of China’s green energy statecraft and unprecedented economies of scale bring about a profound shift in the world’s economic, geopolitical and energy landscape, a think tank warns. China’s US$180 billion in overseas clean tech investment since 2023 is...
6 days ago • 8 min read
Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy Week, your chance to catch up on this week's most important energy news. Prefer to listen? Get The Energy Week on your favourite podcast platform. THE ENERGY WEEK • EPISODE 12 System security in focus 06:38 MORE INFO This week's top energy news This week was all about data centres and system security. The 2025 Transition Plan for System Security from the Australian Energy Market Operator issued a warning on shortfalls in investment, as the market decouples...
8 days ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Tracking phantom data centres Marie Jordan on the grid 'balancing act' Sustainability Victoria no more Reality check for data centres The strain on the NEM from data centres might be overstated because it is based on connection requests, not finished projects, according to a new analysis from Oxford Economics Australia. Interest is not the same as build-out and six in every seven megawatts of connection requests could wind up being ‘phantom demand’. In August,...
9 days ago • 8 min read
Hey Reader, in today's edition: Rule maker eyes home battery benefits Keeping the lights on at the right price Principles for public funding of green projects Rule maker projects price of getting transition wrong Further delays to wind and transmission projects along with prolonging the life of existing coal-fired power plants threaten to add 25% to annual household electricity prices, according to new analysis from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC). The rule maker adds its voice...
10 days ago • 8 min read
Hey Reader, welcome to The Energy's weekly data newsletter. This week we kick off our regular seasonal review of the energy mix in the NEM and SWIS. Spring break Renewable energy came within a whisker of parity with fossil fuels in the eastern states National Electricity Market grid mix for Spring 2025, as the transition defied the naysayers. Western Australia’s South West Integrated System also came close to parity, driven by a huge surge in utility solar generation. In the NEM, big jumps in...
11 days ago • 5 min read