Catch up
Capital
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Energy services leader Zinfra signed an operations and maintenance partnership with Sumitomo subsidiary Summit Hydrogen Gladstone for its pioneering Hydrogen Production Facility in Yarwun, Queensland. Co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the federal Regional Hydrogen Hubs Program, the facility will support the reduction of carbon emissions at Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) Yarwun refinery by incorporating hydrogen into the calcination process in a world-first trial for industrial hydrogen use.
“Our work at Jemena’s Western Sydney Green Hydrogen Hub gave us a strong foundation in this space, and we’re proud to now apply that knowledge to support SHG and Rio Tinto on such a globally significant initiative.” -- Zinfra Managing Director Peter Iancov
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, signed a 20-year agreement to buy nuclear power from Constellation Energy’s Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois. Without the commitment from Meta, the plant was in danger of closing when its zero-emissions credit, which it’s relied on since 2017, expired. (CNBC) (AFR)
Australian tech-led electricity retailer Amber Electric closed a $45 million funding round, led by UK/Europe-based impact investor ETF Partners, and with additional support from Square Peg, Gentrack, Rubio Impact Ventures, and Breakthrough Victoria. The company hopes to scale its two-way energy grid tech globally having signed deals with British utility E.ON and retailer Ecotricity.
JPMorgan global head of corporate advisory Rama Variankaval said the venture capital model honed in Silicon Valley wasn’t working well for the clean tech industry. “In traditional VC, the model is to make 100 bets, 90 of which will completely fail, and of the 10 remaining maybe a couple will have real exponential growth… the amount of capital you’d need to replicate that in climate is enormous, so you might need to accept a revised model where you are picking fewer, more concentrated bets.” (Bloomberg)
 Projects
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen made a preliminary decision to offer a feasibility licence to the 1.5GW Bunbury Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Western Australia. He also shortlisted two other offshore wind projects for WA: one from Westward Wind and an additional project from Bunbury for a preliminary feasibility licence in the southern area of the zone. The two applicants must now resolve the overlap between them. WA is forecast to need 50GW of additional generation by 2042.
But it was end-game for Flotation Energy in Gippsland, despite an appeal, with a final decision against a feasibility licence for Seadragon in the Bass Strait, in the wake of a boundary overlap with renewable energy giant Iberdrola’s 3GW Aurora Green which had “higher merit”.
In the Hunter offshore wind zone, Novocastrian Wind requested more time to shore up commercial arrangements. Novocastrian is a company owned by Norway’s energy major Equinor, international sector specialist Green Tower and the founding members of Oceanex Energy who pioneered offshore wind in Australia and co-founded the nation’s first offshore wind farm, Star of the South.
UNSW said it had transitioned all of its Sydney residential colleges over to renewable electric energy, replacing gas in commercial kitchens and residential heating. The power comes from an on-site solar system and the Sunraysia Solar Farm through a PPA, under which UNSW is expected to save 1.25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over a 15-year term.
Woodside's North West Shelf approval is not a one-off. Here are 6 other massive gas projects to watch (The Conversation)
Policy
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In the UK, hundreds of pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels will receive free advice on energy efficiency and emissions reduction. The Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, at a cost of £350,000, will run for one year and is expected to save the sector £3 million on energy bills and reduce 2,700 tonnes of emissions.
“Most venues have opportunities to save energy, food and money without realising it. By combining smart data with one-to-one coaching, we help operators take simple, practical steps to reduce waste, lower emissions, and improve day-to-day efficiency. It’s about making small changes that add up - cutting waste, protecting profits and building a stronger, more resilient sector.” — Zero Carbon Services CEO Mark Chapman.
Regulation
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AEMO issued a draft report on Voluntary Scheduled Resource (VSR) guidelines as part of reforms to integrate price-responsive energy resources into the NEM. Once implemented, the change would enable aggregated resources, such as VPPs or community batteries, to participate in NEM dispatch. Incumbents have flagged concerns about the impact on NEM system security, but software company SwitchDin says key aspects of the proposed guidelines are driven by limitations in existing systems that perpetuate biases in favour of incumbents, locking out more innovative retailers. Feedback on the report is due July 9.
Climate
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People First Bank announced new science-based targets to significantly reduce its carbon emissions across operations and lending. The bank’s targets have been officially validated by the best-practice Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
“This is about doing our part – with a clear, science-backed path to cut our emissions and support Australia’s shift to a low-carbon economy. For any plan to make a real difference, it needs to be grounded in science with rigorous monitoring and accountability. That is why we are working with the SBTi: to ensure our actions deliver measurable results. As a customer-owned bank, we act in the long-term interests of our customers and communities. That means taking our environmental responsibility seriously and backing it with real action.” — People First Bank CEO Steve Laidlaw
The UK’s solar farms and rooftops generated more electricity than ever before in the first five months of 2025, as the country enjoyed its sunniest spring on record. The figures, revealed in new Carbon Brief analysis, show that the nation’s solar sites have generated a record 7.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity during January to May 2025. This is some 42% higher than the 5.4TWh generated in the same period last year, as well as marking a much larger 260% increase in the past decade.
Technology
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Germany’s Ambibox, China’s Nebula Electronics and Queensland-based Red Earth Energy Storage are developing a residential “Microgrid-in-a-Box” - an integrated hardware and energy management system that combines solar, storage and bidirectional EV charging.
“It’s not a small exercise, because it’s substantially different to what’s in the market today, both from a hardware and software perspective, and it pulls together a fair few things that aren’t usually done together,” Red Earth CEO Marc Sheldon explains.
People
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Engineer and ex-Fortescue senior executive Fiona Hick joined Barrenjoey Capital Partners.
Pilbara Minerals Chief Financial Officer Luke Bortoli, whose milestones include the lithium producer’s $1 billion revolving credit facility and the Latin Resources acquisition, resigned to take up other opportunities.
Professor Sharath Sriram was appointed WA Chief Scientist following the retirement of Professor Peter Klinken after more than a decade in the role. Professor Sriram will continue as President of Science & Technology Australia (STA) until his term ends in November 2025.
"Sharath is an outstanding and innovative Australian researcher who has the runs on the board taking great ideas through to product development and then turning them into economy-boosting businesses. He is also a great communicator of complex research insights into policy-making – he's a superb choice to be Western Australia’s new Chief Scientist.” — STA CEO Ryan Winn
Research
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Engineers at RMIT converted low-grade clay into a high-performance cement supplement, opening a potential new market in sustainable construction materials. Their study introduces a new process, where low-grade illite and kaolin clays are mixed at an equal ratio then heated at 600 Celsius. Processing the raw materials together streamlines industrial operations and lowers fuel use compared to multiple calcination steps.
For Japan, clean energy innovation means more than being clean and its energy security stance dates back to the “Sunshine Plan” launched after the 1973 oil crisis. International Environment and Economy Institute Senior Fellow Sumiko Takeuchi examines how to accelerate innovation.
Random
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The Minerals Council of Australia has reportedly postponed its annual Minerals Week in Canberra — one of the biggest events on the lobby group’s calendar. (The Australian)
