Capital
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Investors in infrastructure and renewable energy are being advised to review their investment structures as Australia’s foreign resident capital gains tax (CGT) regime takes effect in the near future. New CGT definitions are broadening the scope of assets subject to CGT for foreign investors, who may find renewable energy assets like solar farms, wind turbines, and transmission infrastructure “now fall within the expanded definition of taxable Australian property”. The changes come as a survey by private wealth management firm Hamilton Lane found 15% of client portfolios are invested in infrastructure, with 46% expected to increase their private infrastructure investment this year.
A significant new source of high purity alumina (HPA) has attracted a $75 million investment from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NFRC), which will support Alpha HPA’s work to bring its HPA First Project in Gladstone, Queensland online by 2027. Once operational, around 250 people will be employed at the site to deliver a large-scale supply of HPA – which is crucial for the manufacture of semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and lithium-ion batteries – from a facility that operates on 100% renewable electricity.
A massive and sustained construction spree has seen China add more power generation capacity in the past four years (1,515GW) than is generated by the entire United States grid (1,373GW) new figures have revealed — and a third of China’s new capacity (543GW) was added just last year. The figures eclipse the generation capacity of most other countries, with third-place India having just 483GW of capacity, Japan 294GW, France 149GW, and Australia with around 100GW across all technologies. Yet it’s not clear how this investment splurge will be affected by China’s newly announced plans to end solar PV export subsidies in April. (Financial Post)
 Projects
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The Queensland Government has unlocked three new gas exploration areas, naming Santos QNT Pty Ltd and Drillsearch Energy Pty Ltd as the preferred tenderers for three gas exploration areas in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin, near Queensland’s border with South Australia. Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the move would put downward pressure on prices for gas supplies that are “critical to our state’s energy mix”.
“Changing energy market conditions” have driven state-owned Queensland energy company CleanCo to decide against purchasing the new 360MW Moah Creek wind project – instead signing a smaller 10-year offtake deal with the decade-old Kennedy wind farm, which was built by Windlab and is controlled by mining magnate Andrew Forrest. The Kennedy Energy Park is located near Hughenden where state-owned Powerlink hopes to complete the CopperString transmission line by 2032. (Renew Economy)
Policy
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New Zealand electricity distributors Unison Networks and Counties Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the two operators — New Zealand has 29 distributors all told — work together to share project insights, standardise hosting capacity maps for load and generation, strengthen shared asset management strategies, and develop automated tools to identify network and security constraints. The deal comes after Aurora Energy and Alpine Energy struck a similar deal at the urging of Energy Minister Simon Watts, who is encouraging collaboration between distributors.
Regulation
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Australian energy retailers offered consumers 145,500 different energy plans during 2025, according to a new analysis by CHOICE that warned dynamic energy pricing plans are “leaving consumers confused and paying more”. Despite campaigns to educate consumers about the differences between peak and off-peak consumption, CHOICE reports that a recent analysis found demand tariff bills were $150 to $200 higher than other options — yet the number of consumers on complex plans increased by 40% year-on-year.
AEMO’s electricity sector cyber security roles and responsibilities would also be embedded within the National Gas Rules (NGR), under a rule change request by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen. The change would extend four cyber security controls — which were implemented for electricity operators in late 2024 — to gas operators in a move intended to “embed and formalise” the industry’s management of what it calls “an energy security risk which is inextricably linked with the management of both electricity and gas systems”.
Technology
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Engineers at sustainability consultancy Ramboll have developed a new “universal shock absorber” called the Universal Damping STATCOM, which has been designed to remove the risk of problematic power oscillations as operators add new renewable technologies to the grid. Operators have previously had to predict the impact of new generation methods and add specific dampers to compensate, but Ramboll says the new device can “detect and neutralise any observable oscillation in system voltage” by absorbing energy from excessive oscillations – reducing the risk and impact of power outages.
Australian industrial electric vehicle (EV) maker Applied Electric Vehicles (AEV) has received a $30.7 million shot in the arm after the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation chose the firm for its first transport investment. AEV’s ‘Blanc Robot’ autonomous EVs are gaining currency for a broad range of industrial, logistics and commercial applications for which its cabless design and flat chassis can be easily reconfigured. The investment comprises over half of AEV’s latest $56 million ($US40 million) Series B funding round.
South Korean tech giant Samsung has launched a new all-in-one heat pump for residential and commercial use. Dubbed EHS All-in-One, the system provides air heating and cooling, floor heating, and hot water from a single outdoor unit. It is initially released for the European market, with a Korean rollout expected within a year. (PV Magazine)
Climate
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Diesel emissions in the mining sector are rising 6% year-on-year, a new analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has found — a stark contrast to government projections that the sector would cut emissions by 4.5% annually. The increase comes from the industry’s shift to more fuel-intensive open-cut coalmining and higher strip ratios, IEEFA found — challenging the ability to meet emissions-reduction targets, particularly in the coal and iron ore mining operations that account for three-quarters of Australian mining’s diesel emissions.
After announcing its departure from the Paris climate agreement in Trump's first day in office last year, the US has now formally exited. The US will now attend the meetings of the Paris agreement as an observer only. (NYT)
Research
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The impact of evolving quantum computers on data centre power consumption is yet to be fully understood, but new CSIRO research suggests that “small and mighty” ‘quantum batteries’ could power future quantum computers by recycling the energy in the system. Quantum batteries would recharge while the computers operate, CSIRO quantum battery research lead Dr James Quach explained, providing sustainable power from an “internal fuel tank instead of constantly refilling it from the electricity grid.”
People
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Former NAB and EnergyAustralia executive Andrew Sallabanks joined AusEnergy Services Limited (ASL) as Senior Manager, Financial Markets.
Workforce
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A $2.4 million state government investment in Applied Research Grants (ARGs) is intended to strengthen Queensland’s battery technology workforce, with the needs-focused grants supporting the TAFE Centre of Excellence Clean Energy Batteries and disability support workers at the TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support. Applications for ARG funding close on March 16.
