Capital
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Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) will tap institutional investors in a $226 million capital raising priced at 73 cents a share to ramp up its flagship Kathleen Valley lithium mine in Western Australia. A further $20 million will be raised from existing shareholders at the same sticker price as the placement - a discount of 13.6% to the last closing price. The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) will become a cornerstone investor with a $50 million slice of the placement to help provide a buffer during the ongoing price slump.
“Australia is well-positioned to be a competitive, long-term supplier of lithium to the rest of the world and local lithium production is important to the nation’s economic security and resilience. Our investment in Liontown will help to attract private capital and develop Australia’s resources sector. It is aligned with the government’s strategy of transforming Australia into a global leader in the critical minerals supply chain.”
David Gall
CEO NRFC
Banpu Energy Australia, a subsidiary of Thai-based energy major Banpu Public Company (SET: BANPU) was granted an electricity retailer authorisation. The company recently bought a 50% stake of EnergyAustralia’s Wooreen BESS in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.
Chinese battery producer Sungrow narrowed the gap to competitor Tesla with 14% market share in 2024, compared to Tesla’s 15%. Analysts Wood Mackenzie said US-China geopolitical tensions were shifting the market with Chinese BESS integrators boosting their European market share by 67% year-over-year, and Chinese companies' North American market share declining by more than 30%.
 Projects
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Transgrid’s Lumea welcomed the arrival of two 330/33kV transformers, in the latest step toward bringing its 500MW two-hour duration BESS located at the former Liddell Power Station online. The group said the transformers weighed 254 tonnes each and were transported the required 9 hours from the Port of Newcastle to Muswellbrook on custom-built trailers. The project is being delivered in partnership with AGL.
Germany’s latest 2.5GW offshore wind auction failed to attract any bids, sparking calls for a fundamental overhaul of auction design and urgently needed port upgrades. (Offshore Wind)
Australian Vanadium Ltd (ASX: AVL) received approval from the Western Australia Planning Commission for a proposed processing plant at Tenindewa. The facility is a key component of a project that also includes a mine and concentrator at Gabanintha near Meekatharra, and a vanadium electrolyte manufacturing plant already operating in Perth. Together, these facilities are designed to support a “mine-to-battery” supply chain entirely within WA for Vanadium Flow Batteries (VFBs).
Policy
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Energy Minister Chris Bowen will host a roundtable in Sydney on Friday with the nation facing a worker shortage that experts fear will constrain the Future Made in Australia agenda, the broader energy transition, and stymie any productivity gains. “I’ll be holding two roundtables, one on electricity and one on climate adaptation which is going to be an increasing focus of this government and future governments because tragically the world has left it too late to avoid the impacts of climate change. We can hopefully avoid the worst catastrophic impacts of more than 1.5 and 2-3 degrees,” he told The Conversation.
Energy lobby the Australian Energy Council responded to a week of weighty reports with...another report. CEO Louisa Kinnear said the group planned to develop “a comprehensive approach on how we can deliver a net zero energy system by 2050” via an “Energy2050” project that would see it engaging with members and other stakeholders. The project will see the development of "Forecast & Assumptions Paper” and "Energy2050 White Paper” to “support an informed and constructive debate on the direction and pace of the transition pathway”.
“The last few weeks has also seen more debate from the Coalition as to whether net zero by 2050 should continue to be pursued. The challenge with this position is that if it’s not pursued, what is the alternative and is it viable? The AEC recently explored this scenario modelled by Paul Simshauser and Joel Gilmore from Griffith University in their academic paper (
The Counterfactual Scenario: are renewables cheaper?), which demonstrates that extending existing or building new coal fired generation is not a cheaper alternative.”
Louisa Kinnear
CEO, Australian Energy Council
Rooftop solar and distributed battery storage could provide up to 60% of Queensland’s electricity by 2035, the Queensland Conservation Council said, if energy efficiency measures didn’t continue to be hampered by political and regulatory barriers. The climate advocacy group’s new report says even if some of these barriers remained, Queensland could realistically meet one third of its electricity needs by developing a state-based energy efficiency scheme, enabling solar for renters and going big on commercial rooftops.
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) has urged Bowen to back mandatory apprentice training on all projects spending public money and support new industry-led group training programs in every renewable energy zone so that apprentices can move between projects.
“Australia’s economic future depends on energy transition. Energy transition depends on energy workers and right now we don’t have them. We’re looking at a shortage of 42,500 electricians by 2030 to deliver Future Made In Australia, and 117,000 by 2050, according to Jobs and Skills Australia.”
Michael Wright
ETU National Secretary
Reversing the decline in the apprenticeship system, with commencements at a record low, could unlock $26.2 billion in national value over the next decade by lifting wages, workforce capacity, and productivity growth, according to a Deloitte Access Economics report commissioned by apprenticeship network provider MEGT.
The inaugural RE-Alliance regional leaders’ summit wrapped up in Newcastle amid concerns regional voices are rarely at the centre of policy debate.
“As a regional community you can sometimes feel a bit isolated and you’re thinking - what levers can I pull, where is my agency, where is my influence? Coming together like this, it’s clear that local governments are the ones who create the environment for things to happen. It’s up to us to get the right people in the room, and equip those with influence to pull the levers that ensure our community is better off following Australia's energy transition.”
Tracy Lefroy
Shire President of Moora
Regulation
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The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) opened consultation on whether to make a greenfields incentive determination to enable lighter regulation for APA Australia’s proposed Bulloo Interlink. The 340km gas pipeline would connect natural gas from Queensland to southern markets and is still subject to a final investment decision. Submissions are due August 28.
The Australian Energy Market Commission said it would appoint a discretionary member representing consumer and distributed energy resources “due to the growing role of CER and DER in maintaining security and reliability, and their increasing make-up in the energy mix”. Nominations close August 21.
Technology
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Alinta Energy partnered with climate tech startup National Renewable Energy (NRN) on its first Virtual Power Plant, offering Solar Together customers in NSW and South Australia no upfront cost, no financing, and no repayments. Customers get lower daily supply charges and can choose to purchase the system at any time or take ownership after 12 years. For energy retailers, NRN’s VPP platform offers a fully managed, off-balance sheet approach.
"We’re redesigning how the market works. Our platform gives energy retailers a stake in the future of distributed energy, with zero upfront investment and no asset liabilities. It makes solar accessible without shifting cost burdens to consumers.”
Alan Hunter
NRN founder and CEO
Climate
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Five major climate funds launched a US$50 million Adaptation and Resilience Fund to tackle a critically underfunded area. The ClimateWorks Foundations is leading the effort in partnership with the Howden Foundation, Laudes Foundation, Quadrature Climate Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
“In the US and around the world, people, especially vulnerable people, know that extreme heat, fueled by climate change, is not a future threat - it is here, and getting worse. This fund fills a critical need, helping cities take the steps they need to prepare for and protect their residents against extreme weather, starting with heat.”
Elizabeth Yee
Rockefeller Foundation Executive Vice President of Programs
People
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Queensland’s Crisafulli government made a series of new appointments to the state’s public energy companies. Diana Lollato and Peta Tilse joined the board of Powerlink. Wendy Agar and James Versace were appointed to the board of CS Energy and Patrick Brady was named Chair of Energy Queensland.
Nick Duigan was reappointed as Tasmania’s Minister for Energy and Renewables in Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s new Cabinet, while Felix Ellis was appointed Minister for Business, Industry and Resources.
Bill Johnston, a former minister in the WA state government, joined mining and energy tech firm Volt Group (ASX: VPR) as a non-executive director.
Marc Adams joined offshore wind farm developer Orsted Australia to lead local supply chain activities for their work in Gippsland, joining the firm from the UK where he led the development of supply chains for the £8.5 billion Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm.
Research
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CSIRO said it would be “doing fewer things, better, and at scale” after the reshaping of its research portfolio that would sharpen its focus as the national science agency. But there are concerns Australia is gutting its research capability, coinciding with deep cuts in US science agencies, with hundreds more CSIRO jobs on the chopping block. (ABC) (Guardian)
“There’s a clear disconnect between the government’s talk about boosting productivity and their failure to support the very institution that helps deliver it.”
Susan Tonks
CPSU’s CSIRO spokesperson
