Capital

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The South Australian Government locked in a deal with AGL to extend the life of the Torrens Island B gas fired power station to June 2028, for an undisclosed sum. The government blamed delays to the Project Energy Connect interconnector on the NSW side of the border.

The NSW Government opened a competitive tender targeting 500MW of firming capacity to be operational by November 2027. Projects can include batteries (including groups of smaller batteries), gas generation or demand response and must be able to supply additional capacity or reduce load at short notice for the Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong grid. NSW is projected to experience firm capacity shortfalls for the summer of 2027-28.

The NSW tender comes as Transgrid prepares to offer contracts to batteries configured in grid-forming mode, with initial request proposals from select battery owners for services expected to begin in the second half of 2026. The tender will seek proposals from batteries providing approximately 1GW of stabilising services, out of Transgrid’s eventual 5GW target.

Solar and battery automation specialist Amber raised $10 million from major UK energy supplier E.ON Next UK and climate technology investor Virescent Ventures. Amber said the funding would support licensing its platform to utilities internationally.

Projects

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High voltage infrastructure company Intium was awarded a build, own, operate and maintain contract by European Energy Australia for the delivery of connection infrastructure at the 32MW Mulwala Solar Farm, in southern New South Wales. Mulwala is scheduled to be operating by 2026.

Yesterday, Neoen’s Collie Battery 2 started delivering a 300MW grid capacity service contract to AEMO. Combined with Collie 1 (219MW), the pair are Australia’s largest battery in operation and the first to exceed 2GWh of storage capacity. The company has also commenced work on its 164MW Muchea Battery in Western Australia

The 300MW Walla Walla Solar Farm in the Riverina region of NSW has reached completion. Developers Fotowatio Renewable Ventures Australia have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with Microsoft to supply renewable energy from the solar farm to the electricity grid.

Vopak’s proposed floating liquefied natural gas import terminal in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay engaged Seapeak, a specialist in storage and transportation of gas liquids, to provide the floating storage and regasification unit. The terminal will be located approximately 19 kilometres east from Avalon. Vopak is currently undertaking additional requirements for an environmental effects statement, before the project is formally approved, and will report early next year.

Policy

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A $50 million fund to support Australian students wanting to study clean energy trades is yet to pay out a single dollar, and has not even released eligibility guidelines, more than 18 months after it was announced. In federal budget papers from last year, money had been allocated over five years from 2023-24. (ABC)

Victorian commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises can tap incentives of up to $34,000 to install 30kW to 200kW solar systems thanks to a new rule, known as ‘Activity 47’, under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. “There are lots of C&I rooftops state-wide presenting significant untapped opportunity. This activity 47 is a great way to harness the opportunities for businesses to take control of their own energy supply and reduce their energy bills,” said Energy Savings Industry Association President Ric Brazzale.

Regulation

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The Australian Energy Regulator handed down draft revenue determinations for electricity distribution network service providers in Victoria for 2026-31, saying it was not satisfied that the proposed expenditure was “prudent and efficient”. Knock-backs ranged from 13.1% less than proposed for Jemena to 5.4% less than proposed for CitiPower. The distributors have until 1 December to respond, with a community forum to be held on 14 October.

Victoria’s Essential Services Commission is making changes to the Energy Retail Code of Practice to protect the most vulnerable consumers. Rolling out over the next 12 months, retailers will be required to move struggling customers onto their cheapest plan, ensure long-term customers are paying a reasonable price, and have effective processes available for customers to switch to their best offer, amongst other changes. “Retailers have been limited in being able to move customers to different plans because of the need for explicit informed consent. These changes mean they will now be able to automatically switch customers in payment difficulties to plans that better suit them,” said Louisa Kinnear, Chief Executive of the Australian Energy Council.

Technology

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NRMA Insurance awarded five climate tech ventures $100,000 each to help scale their ideas. Among the grants, DNA Energy’s air conditioning load control system helps buildings use energy more intelligently; Rainstick's Variable Electric Field Treatment uses electricity to mimic the natural effects of lightning to grow crops bigger, faster and more sustainably; and VALAI's Digital Home Energy Assessment and Decision Support Tools make it easier for people to use their household water more efficiently.

Climate

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The Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance poured water on suggestions that renewable energy infrastructure – including turbines, solar panels and batteries – posed an increased fire risk. Spokesperson Cam Walker said “bad faith actors are amplifying misinformation in order to slow the energy transition”.

His comments came as social trends researcher Rebecca Huntley told a hearing of the Senate Select Committee delving into the prevalence and impacts of misinformation and disinformation related to climate change that since the COVID pandemic, people in focus groups had shifted to talking about wind turbines bursting into flames and electric vehicle fires being unable to put out. “This kind of idea that a renewable energy future is a more flammable future.”

Pope Leo XIV has denounced people who deny climate change, arguing that they are contributing to the destruction of God's creation. "Some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident science of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming and even to claim the poor for the very thing that affects them most," he said on the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si, a formal doctrinal letter that called for the protection of the planet. His comments come just a week after Donald Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” in a speech at the United Nations. (Politico)

People

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One-time advisor to Tony Blair Nick Rowley has been appointed chair of the NSW Net Zero Commission.

Corporate Carbon Group (CCG) has appointed Marc Train as Chief Executive Officer, with Gary Wyatt transitioning from Managing Director to Executive Director.

German renewables support services firm meteocontrol has appointed Jawad Sayed as its new Regional Manager for Australia and the Oceania region.

Former environment reporter for The Age Miki Perkins has taken on the role of environment and energy editor at The Conversation.

Patrick Quin will start a new position as General Manager at Hart Bioenergy.

Research

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Perovskite solar panels gradually reduced their performance over a four-year field trial in Germany and Slovenia, but only in winter. In summer, the blue-light-rich spectrum enhanced generation. Although high temperatures typically reduce voltage in fresh devices, this effect was offset in the older cells by an increase in the fill factor. In winter, the four-year-old devices did not fully recover voltage during daylight, leading to reduced performance. (Nature Energy)