Capital
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Infrastructure investor Infratil (ASX: IFT) agreed to buy a 4.92% stake in New Zealand energy company Contact Energy (NZX: CEN) from TECT Holdings for NZ$437.7 million, increasing Infratil’s holding to 14.3%, following the recent merger of Contact and Manawa Energy. "We have a deep understanding of the sector through our ownership of Manawa Energy and we're confident in the opportunities created by its merger with Contact,” Infratil CEO Jason Boyes said. (Capital Brief)
Climate tech startup Good Heat raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to kickstart a Thermal Energy Storage platform for large users to replace gas with clean, affordable process energy. Understorey Ventures, Investible, 2100VC and Foobar VC are backing their vision for industrial electrification.
Diablo Resources (ASX: DBO) and other hand-picked emerging producers will be lunching with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ambassador Kevin Rudd in Washington DC on October 22 US time, after Albanese’s bilateral meetings with President Donald Trump on October 21, where critical minerals and supply chain cooperation on the agenda. Diablo’s footprint includes two sites in Utah: Phoenix Copper Project and Star Range Silver-Antimony Project.
 Projects
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Waste products will be the new oil, according to Wagner Sustainable Fuels CEO Matt Doyle. The Queensland firm’s latest fuel-blending facility is using imported synthetic fuel to mix with standard jet fuel, while waiting for domestic supplies to become available. “We’re hoping our facility can be a beacon for the federal government to look at and say everything works,” he says. “Then we can get on with making good policy that will grow the industry and benefit Australia.” (AAP)
Star of the South, VicGrid, Offshore Wind Energy Victoria and the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water are hosting another round of offshore wind information days, with sessions planned for Seaspray and Port Welshpool in Gippsland.
New Zealand’s gentailers seem unlikely to take up an invitation to quickly build new gas-fired power stations to offset reduced hydro power in dry years. Meanwhile a private consortium is looking to purchase land for new pumped hydro. (Newsroom)
The NSW Government has given APA Group the green light to re-deploy its existing Moomba to Sydney Ethane Pipeline, allowing delivery of an extra 20-25 terajoules of gas per day. The 1,200km high-pressure pipeline has sat idle since 2023 when a previous single customer of the pipeline ceased operations.
Policy
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The federal government is briefing industry on the next iteration of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act after failing to pass reforms in its previous term. Environment Minister Murray Watt plans to introduce the bill to Parliament in the next sitting fortnight. “I've also met three times separately with each of the Opposition and the Greens to talk them through the directions that we're going, the policy positions that we're going, to try to narrow the number of areas of disagreement with us and the Coalition and the Greens. I feel like those discussions are going well,” he told ABC.
If governments and developers truly value community input then they should start paying people for their time — like other consultants, writes Karin Stark, a Central West NSW primary producer and founder of the National Renewables in Agriculture Conference. (Renew Economy)
Regulation
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The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water published its year-to-date estimate of the default prescribed unit price (DPUP) under the Safeguard Mechanism as $36.34, based on RepuTex EnergyIQ Platform market data from July 1 to September 30.
The Australian Energy Regulator called for feedback on revised Marinus Link construction costs that are around 1% lower than what it submitted in July. The regulator expects to publish its draft decision on the almost $5 billion proposal in late November.
Technology
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Australian tech and business industry groups have thrown their support behind a report — funded by OpenAI — that anticipates AI could deliver $142 billion of value to the Australian economy per annum by 2030. (Capital Brief) (AFR)
Origin will allow Energy Australia to use Octopus Energy’s Kraken platform to manage its 1.6 million customer accounts, according to The Australian. The Kraken platform – widely regarded as a market-leading system for customer management, energy trading and operational efficiency – has long been a tightly controlled asset. Origin owns a 20% stake in Octopus.
Climate
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The “Lungs of the Earth” campaign is heading to COP30 as faith leaders call for better protection of natural resources, including forests. Monash University Antarctic researcher Felicity McCormack said up to one billion people living in low-lying coastal areas were likely to be affected by sea level rise by the end of the century. “We’re talking about loss of entire habitats, entire islands, impacts on food and water security, and potential mass migration,” Dr McCormack warned.
India is putting together a $21 trillion plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2070, hitting peak emissions in 2045, a decade earlier than the current trajectory, according to Bloomberg. The government sees renewables supplying 65% of its total energy mix by 2070, with nuclear accounting for 11%. Coal would provide just 4%.
People
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Brisbane-based former Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland Jackie Trad officially commenced as CEO of the Clean Energy Council.
Michael Mazengarb started as the new Head of Corporate Accountability with Climate Integrity.
Research
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Engineer, inventor and founding director of the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) Professor Veena Sahajwalla wants policymakers to reimagine waste as a new resource in a more circular economy. “We need to make sure government departments are using Australian tech, and that we reward companies that invest in Australian R&D with preferential consideration in government tenders,” she said, ahead of a speech at the National Press Club on Tuesday. Using waste as a feedstock can create a circular economy with connected supply chains and new local jobs, with environmental and social benefits.
Random
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Is Barnaby Joyce the new Pauline Hanson? ABC’s Patricia Karvelas takes a look at why he’s flirting with One Nation, and if other Nationals MPs opposed to net zero might do the same. (Politics Now)
