Capital
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Mining giant Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) is among those lobbying for new uranium mines, citing growing demand from Australia’s key trading partners, as a WA parliamentary inquiry considers how the resource-rich state should contribute to global decarbonisation. But Premier Roger Cook has said there would need to be a significant shift in the global market for uranium to trigger any review of WA’s ban. (AFR)
For the fourth year in a row, banks are making more money providing loans and underwriting bond sales for green-related projects than they’re earning from fossil fuel companies. (Bloomberg)
 Projects
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Tilt Renewables signed a 15-year, fixed-price Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with AGL Energy (ASX: AGL) for 100% of the generation from the proposed 108MW Waddi Wind Farm, located 150km north of Perth — the first long-term wind PPA for AGL’s Perth arm. “This is a significant milestone for Tilt Renewables with the Waddi Wind Farm being our first project in Western Australia,” Tilt Renewables CEO Anthony Fowler said. “We are currently working through our internal processes and finalising construction contracts. A final investment decision on the project is expected in coming weeks and we are targeting commercial operation in the second half of 2028.”
Policy
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The environmental protection package released yesterday by Environment Minister Murray Watt included a crackdown on “lawfare” with a new 28-day limit for third parties to request a reconsideration of a decision that a project is a controlled action. The seven bills also include a new ministerial power to make national environmental standards, a centrepiece of the Samuel review, and a definition of “unacceptable impacts” to save time on no-go projects. Draft versions of the first two standards — matters of national environmental significance and environmental offsets — will be released in coming days. The proposed changes won’t escape a committee inquiry, which is due to report back next March — missing the Minister’s Christmas deadline.
South Australia announced $17.5 million in matched funding for gas projects to shore up future supplies. The Australian Energy Market Operator’s (AEMO) Gas Statement of Opportunities forecast risks of peak day gas shortfall from 2028, and structural supply gaps emerging from 2029. The new Gas Security Infrastructure Fund follows the state’s deal with AGL to extend the life of Torrens Island B gas-fired power station beyond 2026 to boost electricity supply and capacity.
Regulation
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With residential gas demand expected to fall by 70% over the next two decades, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) released a draft determination on a national framework for customers who want to stop supply to their property. “Our analysis found that making a customer who is leaving the gas network pay the real cost of disconnection is more equitable than spreading these costs across remaining customers, who are often those with fewer choices about their energy supply,” AEMC Chair Anna Collyer said, while conceding this approach might be a barrier for households wanting to electrify.
Technology
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Energy Transition Show host and policy expert Chris Nelder said the “headlong rush into data centres” meant the world was “throwing climate change under the bus as a social priority”. Speaking at an Ausgrid event, Nelder said nobody was stopping data centre owners from relying entirely on fossil fuels, with gas the go-to fuel only constrained by shortages of turbines. “They're now repurposing old jet engines, bolting them to concrete and firing 'em up to power data centres and this is all happening without any regulatory oversight at all….because we want to write our emails easier. What are we doing here?”
Climate
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Australia’s official website for COP30 is live. The verdict on COP31 remains in the balance.
Global net zero by 2050 is now “impossible” and the world is on course for temperature rises of 2.6 degrees Celsius, according to energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie. The Energy Transition Outlook 2025-2026 says that a 2°C warming limit would require US$4.3 trillion in annual investment between 2025-2060 and reaching net zero emissions by around 2060. Energy sector investment must grow from 2.5% of global GDP today to 3.35% within the next decade.
People
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Kalbarri-based Natalie Moir joined Murchison Green Hydrogen as Regional Liaison Officer.
Victory Metals (ASX:VTM) appointed Emma Doyle, former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump, as Senior Advisor for US Strategic Engagement.
Karoon Energy (ASX: KAR) appointed Carri Lockhart as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.
Rufimy Koo has been appointed to the investment committee at First Australians Capital, Australia's first Indigenous-led debt fund.
Research
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University of Melbourne researchers published in Nature Nanotechnology say the microscopic movement of charged particles at the electrode-electrolyte interface could hold the key to faster charging. “Supercapacitors bridge the gap between traditional batteries and conventional capacitors,” Professor Zhe Liu said. “They can charge in seconds and last for millions of cycles. By improving how ions move within them, we can make them an even more powerful partner for renewable energy systems, electric transport, and grid stability.”
Random
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New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s oil trade while meeting with the Nordic 5 Foreign Ministers in Stockholm.
