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Hey Reader, in today's edition:
- How to make COP31 work for Australia
- Thinking confidently about flex
- Indigenous Australians leading on energy
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Australia needs a smart COP playbook
If Australia wins its bid to co-host the UN climate talks next year with Pacific Island nations, it will put the country in the climate spotlight as never before.
Industry expert Dan Cass writes that the nation’s policy and political opportunity is to champion consumer energy solutions above all else, with those on the frontlines of climate change speaking for themselves.
This approach would require a reboot across research, policy, communications and diplomacy. A decision on the next Ambassador for Climate Change would also be handy.
A consumer focus would also be more engaging than the usual global metrics that feature at COP talks: parts per million, degrees of warming off a baseline, centimetres of sea level rise, carbon budgets, roadmaps and pathways.
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Expert view
“Consumers save money while eliminating fossil fuels when they electrify their home and car and maximise rooftop solar. We should be able to mobilise a consumer army of tens of millions of people to care about COP31.
Australia has offered up Adelaide as the host city for COP31 and it could be a winner. Adelaide is a sprawling and conventional suburban metropolis. Half the houses in some postcodes are solar. The state grid is at the bleeding edge of renewables transition. This gives Adelaide a success story to shout from the rooftops.
The key will be credible consumer research and case studies. These would demonstrate how households around the region and the world are saving money by replacing fossil fuels with solar, storage, e-mobility — including boats — and electric appliances for heating, cooling and cooking.”
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Dan Cass
Research Affiliate, Sydney Environment Institute
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Take the global lead on vehicle-to-grid too
Just as Australia rapidly became a global leader in rooftop solar, there is an opportunity to lead the charge in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) uptake, according to the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).
The industry body called for the federal government to include a $3,000 rebate for V2G chargers in its $2.3 billion home battery program to accelerate EV uptake and shut down coal-fired power stations more quickly.
EVC Chief Executive CEO Julie Delvecchio said a lesson learned from rooftop solar was that government support during the early years of adoption was essential to build momentum.
“Over time V2G chargers will become increasingly affordable and more Australians will embrace this technology. But to get the ball rolling, a rebate would be enormously constructive,” Delvecchio said.
Around 600,000 EVs doing V2G could displace the output of NSW’s coal-fired Eraring power station at full tilt, she said.
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‘Crucial’ Marinus infrastructure tops $5b
With a final investment decision delayed by Tasmania's snap election, Marinus Link’s prospects received a boost as an independent analysis found increased benefits from the interconnector between Tasmania and Victoria. (Pulse Tasmania) (Renew Economy).
The joint proponents, Marinus Link and TasNetworks updated their Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission ahead of lodging a revised Revenue Proposal with the Australian Energy Regulator. Tasmania has the option to sell its stake to the Commonwealth upon commissioning of the project.
“The updated modelling draws from the Australian Energy Market Operator’s latest input assumptions and future scenarios data, which show an increased need for Project Marinus in meeting future electricity demand across the grid. These findings show that as the energy market continues to evolve, Project Marinus remains crucial for energy affordability, security, and decarbonisation.”
Stephanie McGregor
Marinus CEO Marinus, and better use of dispatchable TAS hydro energy storage to support coal retirement, underpins renewable energy targets in Victoria, Tasmania and NSW.
EY Parthenon updated their analysis of future electricity market scenarios and also estimated the emissions reduction benefits, as required under new guidelines. With Marinus up and running, energy otherwise spilled could be exported to meet mainland demand, displacing thermal generation and capacity and leading to emissions savings.
Costs for Stage 1 of the reduced Marinus Link, comprising just one 1500MW undersea cable and underground electricity interconnector between North West TAS and Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, and North West Transmission Developments’ 240km of new and upgraded lines have now been “market tested and further refined” to:
- Marinus Link - $ 3.89 billion (real $2023)
- North West Transmission Developments - $1.14 billion (real $2023)
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Expert view
“In the absence of the Marinus Link, both Victoria and Tasmania face reduced energy resilience — particularly in the event of droughts or unplanned outages of Basslink, as experienced in 2016. The current regulatory framework has not kept pace with the scale and urgency of the clean energy transition. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) must shift its focus to include incentivising delivery.
The AER’s current approach to capital cost assessments — although well-intentioned — risks reinforcing a regulatory culture which penalises delivery risk-taking and innovation. The result is a misalignment between regulatory incentives and the outcomes which create value for consumers in the long term — lower bills, energy security and faster decarbonisation.”
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Stephanie Bashir
Nexa Advisory CEO
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Catch Up
Capital
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Escalating geopolitical tensions are being shrugged off by an apparently oversupplied market, and world oil consumption will grow by just 700,000 barrels a day in 2025, the slowest pace in 16 years excluding the 2020 pandemic slump, according to the latest International Energy Agency (IEA) oil market report. Meanwhile, China’s new policies aimed at improving its energy security are positioning oil companies as long-term strategic storage partners for the government, effectively removing these volumes from the global market. IEA forecasts are at the lower end of the industry range, as the agency expects a faster energy transition than some other forecasters. According to OPEC, demand will rise by 1.3 million barrels per day this year — almost double the IEA figure. (Reuters) (FT) (WSJ) (AFR)
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) said its members were sometimes hesitant to invest in renewable energy because they risked receiving a poor performance grade in annual performance benchmarking of funds. ASFA chief executive Mary Delahunty said that in order to make some of the investments the government was encouraging, the performance tests may need to change. (AFR)
 Projects
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A bid by aspiring LNG importer Viva Energy to secure “preferential” access to a congested pipeline west of Melbourne threatens to slash the value of the country’s biggest gas storage plant Iona, which is owned by Queensland Investment Corporation. (AFR)
Gregadoo Solar Farm south of Wagga Wagga in NSW is seeking to modify the approved solar farm to include a 200MW battery energy storage system, which critics have slammed as a profit-driven battery on “prime agricultural land” that doesn’t benefit locals. (The Land)
Edify Energy is planning a 300MW solar-battery hybrid project in northern Victoria that would comprise what could be the biggest eight-hour battery facility in the country. (Renew Economy)
Policy
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The ancient Murujuga Cultural Landscape was recognised for its Outstanding Universal Value on the World Heritage List, which ensures stronger protections under Australian laws.
“World Heritage is the mechanism we will use to continue to do what we have always done — protect this Ngurra and our culture for all future generations. At every step, this Indigenous-led process has reflected our aspirations for Ngurra in partnership with the State and the support of the Commonwealth and we thank them for their efforts, respect and most importantly, for undertaking their roles in this process without undermining Indigenous decision-making within the process.”
Peter Hicks
Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation Chair
The Greens said Labor could prove it was willing to stand up for the oldest art gallery in the world by cancelling environmental approval of the Woodside Energy (ASX: WDS) North West Shelf gas factory extension to 2070, but Environmental Minister Murray Watt has indicated operations around Karratha are critical for Australia’s renewable energy transition.
Regulation
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Electrical workers called on state and federal governments to overhaul energy project planning and approvals, amid concerns one third of the power generated by new large scale solar projects in south-eastern Australia could be wasted because of transmission project delays. The call comes ahead of a national productivity roundtable, where energy will be a critical component.
“Energy is a critical enabler of productivity. Every business in every sector uses it and pays for it. New industries that will drive productivity like critical minerals and data centres need it to spin up. If we are wasting a third of new energy instead of sending it where it needs to go because projects are delayed, that’s a huge problem that places electrical workers’ jobs at risk. We need to stop consulting communities to death, provide a faster “yes” or a faster “no” for projects.
Michael Wright
ETU National Secretary
Technology
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Small changes to how Large Language Models are built and used can dramatically reduce energy consumption without compromising performance, according to a report by UNESCO and University College London that advocates a pivot away from resource-heavy AI models to more compact models, which could reduce energy consumption by up to 90%.
“Generative AI’s annual energy footprint is already equivalent to that of a low-income country, and it is growing exponentially. To make AI more sustainable, we need a paradigm shift in how we use it, and we must educate consumers about what they can do to reduce their environmental impact.“
Tawfik Jelassi
Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO
Climate
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Nick Cater, a senior fellow at the Liberal-aligned Menzies Research Centre, celebrates US President Donald Trump’s appointment of a “persistent irritant to the climate change establishment” — theoretical physicist Steven E. Koonin — to a US top government role. (Sky)
Research
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A 2024 report only recently made public found one of the largest risks facing a leading US grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, is the disorganised integration of large AI-driven loads — and increased demand from the oil and gas industry. (Inside Climate News)
Random
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Gen Z’s “conscious un-bossing” has left many workplaces wondering who’s going to lead — and what leadership will look like — in 20 years. (AFR)
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What's On
July 14
State of Energy Research Conference 2025
Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean, NEM Review Chair Tim Nelson, and ANU Professor of Engineering Kylie Catchpole headline this Sydney event.
July 16
National Press Club
Chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation and former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry will speak on “Our last, best chance – national environment laws to restore nature and power the net zero economy” at this event in Canberra.
July 17
Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit
NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe, Battery Stewardship Council CEO Libby Chaplin, CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist Manufacturing Dr Adam Best, and Ecocycle CEO Doug Rowe are among the speakers at this Sydney event.
July 17-18
Carbon Capture APAC Summit
Chevron General Manager of Energy Transition David Fallon, Beach Energy CEO Brett Woods, CarbonNet Project Director Jane Burton, Geoscience Director of Offshore Energy Systems Merrie-Ellen Gunning are among speakers at this event in Melbourne.
July 17-18
Australia Wind Energy 2025
VicGrid CEO Alistair Parker, Siemens Gamesa Global CEO Vinod Philip, New.E co-lead Clare Larkin-Sykes, RWE Renewables CEO Australia Daniel Belton, Engie AU Chief Renewables Officer Laura Caspari, ACCIONA Energía Australia MD Brett Wickham and CEFC Director, Investments, Nick Hawke are among the line-up at this Melbourne event.
July 17-18
Connecting Hydrogen
Federal Assistant Minister for Energy Josh Wilson, WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, Chevron Australia GM Energy Transition David Fallon, ARENA Investment Director Alexandra McIntosh, Ampol CFO Greg Barnes, and Woodside Energy GM Carbon Capture and Storage Andrew Nicholls will speak at this event in Melbourne.
July 21
Safeguard Symposium
The Carbon Market Institute will host a discussion of market dynamics under the Safeguard Mechanism, finance and investment in ACCU supply, carbon price reform, and climate policy at this event in Sydney, which was rescheduled due to severe weather.
July 22
Smart Energy South Australia
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen will headline at the Smart Energy Council conference and expo in Adelaide.
July 29-30
Australian Clean Energy Summit (ACES) 2025
AEMO CEO Daniel Westerman, AEMC Chair Anna Collyer, Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean, AGL CEO Damien Nicks, Iberdrola Australia CEO Ross Rolfe and Squadron Energy CEO Rob Wheals are among the lineup at the Clean Energy Council’s flagship event in Sydney.
July 30
Australian Sustainable Finance Summit
Treasury Deputy Secretary Angelia Grant, Original Power Executive Director Karrina Nolan, and Australian Office of Financial Management CEO Anna Hughes are among the line-up at this Sydney event.
August 7-8
2025 ACCC/AER Regulatory Conference
Former chair of UK energy regulator Ofgem Professor Martin Cave, AEMC Commissioner Sally McMahon, Treasury Assistant Secretary - Competition Taskforce Anna Barker, Essential Services Commission Chair Gerard Brody, and Marinus Link Chair Sandra Gamble are among the speakers at this event in Brisbane.
August 18
National Press Club
Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood will speak on the “Growth imperative: How to fix our productivity problem” at this event in Canberra.
August 26-27
Australian Renewable Heat Conference
Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean, ARENA investment manager Peter Haenke, and AGL sustainability expert Brendan Weinert will speak at this event in Sydney.
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