Capital
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Under a 10-year agreement, Senex (ASX: SXY) will supply up to 58.4 petajoules of gas from 2027 from its Atlas development in the Surat Basin to CS Energy’s proposed 400MW Brigalow Peaking Power Plant to be built near Chinchilla in the Western Downs. CS Energy CEO Brian Gillespie said the plant would be located next to the company’s Kogan Creek Power Station and close to the Chinchilla Battery. Queensland-owned Stanwell and CleanCo are investigating gas-powered generation projects at Gatton and Swanbank as part of a plan for Queensland to have up to 4.1GW of gas-fired generation capacity by 2030, increasing to between 6.1GW and 8.3GW by 2035.
Shareholders called on APA Group (ASX: APA) to come clean on how building gas pipelines to transport gas for export is aligned with global climate goals. Large investors including the New York City Pension Fund, California’s CalPERS, Norway's biggest pension fund KLP and asset manager Storebrand backed Market Forces’ shareholder resolutions at the AGM, calling on APA to disclose due diligence and climate risks.
 Projects
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Construction has started on the 105MW King Rocks Wind Farm, a Synergy-led project that is part of WA’s energy transition plan, after the Cook government allocated $513 million towards the project.
Policy
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Proposed changed to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) are being met with objection from both green groups and business groups. While the proposed changes do not include a 'climate trigger', developers will be required to report the carbon footprint of a potential project and outline a plan to reduce its emissions. Proposed penalties for breaching the Act could include stripping companies of any financial advantage they gained and fines of up to $825 million. (ABC) (The Australian) (AFR)
Australia’s top climate adviser Matt Kean backed calls to overhaul a lucrative tax rebate for miners who use diesel fuel to power their operations. “The idea of continuing to provide the diesel fuel rebate to big mining companies and whatnot at the expense of helping Australian consumers benefit from electrification is insane,” he said. “Nature is not going to be fooled. The atmosphere counts the costs of emissions.”(AFR)
Coalition MPs have been called to a roundtable hosted by Shadow Energy minister Dan Tehan to air their differences on net zero, Sky reported, but the Nationals are playing it cool. “We're waiting on the policy paper from Matt Canavan and Ross Cadell. When that's finalised, it'll be presented to our party room and we'll get to our position and then our position will be fed into the Liberal Party … to try and get to a set position. I think it's important, but you've got to be able to do that calmly, rationally and be able to explain the why and where to,” Nationals Leader David Littleproud said.
The Queensland government released a Social Licence in Renewable Energy Toolkit, claiming Labor’s “reckless rush to renewables” meant communities, councils and stakeholders were shut out of approval processes. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie also announced funding to modernise and update course materials for the Diploma of Local Government (Planning) to prepare the next generation of planners with “better skills and knowledge”.
Regulation
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EnergyAustralia will spend more than $1.2 million in bill relief after breaching consumer protections. The court-enforceable undertaking to provide the credits and debt waivers, follows alleged failures to inform customers of their right to payment assistance. “We expect businesses of this size to have robust systems in place to ensure this doesn’t happen,” Victoria’s Essential Services Commission Chair and Commissioner Gerard Brody said.
Climate
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The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released An Eye on Methane: From measurement to momentum report ahead of COP30 to reinforce the Global Methane Pledge of curbing methane emissions 30% by 2030. Historically, emission inventories have underestimated methane emissions, making real-world data a critical tool to track and reduce this potent driver of global warming. “Governments and operators must respond to satellite alerts – then they must act to reduce emissions,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
The Climate Council partnered with PropTrack to analyse what flood risk means for the individual and collective value of Australian properties. The report found flood risk has cost Australians $42.2 billion overall, with one in six homes at risk of flooding. The bulk are in Queensland, where flood risk has cost homeowners $19 billion. NSW follows closely behind, with more than $14 billion foregone in flood-related value. As climate-driven floods become more frequent and severe, more properties could face steeper penalties, they warned.
People
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Former Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water David Fredericks and National Reconstruction Fund Director Daniel Walton have been appointed to the Snowy Hydro board.
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has appointed Professor Emily Shuckburgh to the role of Chief Scientific Adviser.
The University of Pennsylvannia has announced the appointment of Sanya Carley as the new vice provost for climate science, policy, and action, replacing high profile climate advocate Michael Mann.
Research
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The final gas powered generator in Western Australia could close by 2046, with gas only required to supply 1% of WA’s electricity by 2035. A report prepared by Springmount Advisory and Greenpeace Australia Pacific showed how the state could slash emissions by 90% across four major sectors — electricity, industry, transport and agriculture — by 2050. Power Shift: WA’s Electrified Future provides a timeline for the phase out of fossil fuels while supporting green jobs and industries.
The WA government plans to legislate a climate target next year, Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson told the AFR Energy & Climate Summit, without committing to a number.
If the world co-operated to recycle our lithium-ion batteries, it could reduce carbon emissions from the battery supply chain by up to 35%, Chinese researchers say. This is because mining is a bigger source of carbon emissions but contributes less economic value than processes further down the supply chain. The authors point to Australia and New Zealand (grouped together) as a major contributor to the production-based emissions of batteries — accounting for 6.3% of the world's total — and they say that's expected to rise even further by 2060. (Nature)
Random
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New Zealand has gutted its once world-leading climate-related disclosures regime, just months after officials showcased it at the United Nations as evidence of “significant progress” on climate action. (RNZ)
