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Hey Reader, in today's edition:
- Making meters smarter
- 2035 juggling act
- Evolving legal duties
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Real-time data sooner, for some
Energy retailers around the country are still rolling out smart meters (with the exception of Victoria, which is near completed), with five million legacy meters yet to be swapped out under a 2030 deadline set by the Australian Energy Regulator. The problem is, few of these ‘smart’ meters are enabled to deliver real-time data.
Under a new rule first proposed by Energy Consumers Australia (ECA), consumers would be able to request access to real-time meter data at no cost from the start of 2028, though thanks to the legacy of current meters, the majority would have to bring their own device or wait for their retailer to replace their current meter.
ECA, and the cost-benefit analysis this week released by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), say real-time data delivers benefits for both the grid and consumers, be they with rooftop solar and batteries or without.
The AEMC is seeking feedback on its draft determination by October 23.
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Expert view
“We've been fans of accelerating the smart meter rollout all along, because it provides net benefits to all consumers by helping the system to work better.
Just like the rest of our lives now rely upon digital technologies, the electricity grid needs to too, or else we're going to miss a lot of opportunities to improve productivity and utilisation and efficiency in the grid.
So that's a good thing about smart meters. But if that was the only thing that was happening with smart meters, and if consumers couldn't actually see a direct benefit, then it seemed it was a really big missed opportunity to build social licence, to provide consumers with a direct benefit from this new technology. That’s what this rule change helps to do.”
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Brian Spak
GM, Advocacy and Policy, Energy Consumers Australia
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Juggling act
As speculation about the forthcoming 2035 emissions target reaches fever pitch, Environment Minister Murray Watt is signing off on approval conditions for the extension of Australia’s largest gas project to 2070.
Vanuatu's Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu criticised the approval of the North-West Shelf gas project as “internationally wrongful” and legally contentious following the International Court of Justice opinion handed down in July. (ABC) (SBS) (AAP) (AFR)
“What we’ll continue to do is act in Australia’s interests but also in the interests of engaging in action on climate change. We know that gas has an important role to play in the transition. We’ll continue to make decisions based upon our domestic law and the Environment Minister will be making a decision in the coming period.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Munda, Solomon Islands
Albanese has long argued that being serious on climate change is the “entry fee” for credibility in the Pacific and repeated that line while wooing leaders this week to co-host next year’s international climate negotiations. (Insiders)
Meanwhile there is a clear unity ticket when it comes to Australia’s national environmental laws as they’re failing, whether you ask greenies or developers, according to Clean Energy Investor Group CEO Richie Merzian.
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Expert view
“With clearer, investment-grade rules, Australia will be far more competitive in attracting global capital seeking long-term certainty in clean energy. This is a rare alignment of interests - industry, investors, and environmental groups all broadly agree on the direction. But agreement alone doesn’t attract capital, reform does. Hopefully Minister Watt can deliver.
The outdated Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act — riddled with duplication, delays, and ambiguity — is stalling investment and pushing up project costs across both the clean energy and resources sectors.
The Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG), whose members collectively manage more than $38 billion in clean energy assets, has modelled the opportunity. Addressing key regulatory bottlenecks could unlock $421 billion in clean energy investment.”
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Richie Merzian
CEO, Clean Energy Investor Group
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Evolving legal duties
President of the Law Society of NSW Jennifer Ball said the rapid pace of change in climate-related regulation and the introduction of new government programs required updated guidance to the legal profession on how to meet the evolving duty to clients.
New sections of the Climate Change Guidance - Advising on climate risk annexure cover the Sustainable Finance Roadmap, Capacity Investment Scheme Program, vehicle efficiency standards, Future Made in Australia Reforms, and the Guarantee of Origin Scheme.
“The updated Corporate Law section includes discussion of the new reporting regime, which will eventually apply to almost all enterprises with two of the following three criteria: more than 100 employees, $25 million in assets, or $50 million in annual revenue,” Ms Ball said.
The evolving duty to meaningfully address climate risks and associated issues in their advice to clients springs from solicitors’ legislated and common law ethical duties. Most clients, and nearly all areas of legal practice, could be affected, she said.
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Catch Up
Capital
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In a race with Western Australia, the Queensland government invested $10 million in Vecco Group’s mine and commercial-scale electrolyte facility to establish the nation’s first end-to-end vanadium battery supply chain. The senior secured loan facility from QIC covers the development of one of Australia’s largest JORC-compliant vanadium resources near Julia Creek, and a commercial-scale manufacturing facility designed to produce up to 600MWh/year of electrolyte in Townsville. (IQ)
Australia's second-largest pension fund, Australian Retirement Trust, invested almost $1 billion in a climate fund run by Macquarie Group. The fund includes global and domestic assets such as Aula Energy, which has renewable energy projects throughout Australia. (Bloomberg)
 Projects
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The fast-tracked Hunter-Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) project received planning approval for network upgrades to enable 1GW of network transfer capacity. The REZ project is now subject to final approvals from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said, right now, around 36% of NSW’s electricity comes from renewable sources. “The projects we’ve backed already will move us over two-thirds of the way to our (16GW) 2030 renewable energy generation goal, and about 40% of the way to our (2GW/16GWh) 2030 long-duration storage target.”
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) allocated $12.3 million in funding to Mondo Power to develop, construct and operate an electric truck charging hub in Melbourne’s west under the Driving the Nation program. The hub will have 14 dual plug electric vehicle chargers and will be purpose-built for heavy battery electric vehicle (BEV) trucks. The funding will support the installation of charging infrastructure and subsidise 20 heavy BEV trucks for trucking and transport customers.
“Transport plays a vital role in Australia’s economy and contributes around 22% of emissions. By backing first of kind innovation like this, we can accelerate the sector’s adoption of clean technologies and bring us closer to our net zero goals.”
Darren Miller
CEO, ARENA
Origin has lost its appetite for an $8 billion offshore wind project slated for Gippsland, Victoria. An Origin spokeswoman told the AFR that the company had not abandoned the Navigator North project, but confirmed it did not intend to bid in the auction as it no longer planned to be operational by 2032.
Policy
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Queensland also released a Social Baseline Study to help developers and communities in the state’s north-west understand the social impacts and plan for the next wave of critical minerals investment. Queensland is piloting two zones:
- Julia Creek/Richmond where up to nine vanadium projects are proposed alongside two existing mines to serve emerging large-scale energy storage technology and other manufacturing supply chains
- Mount Isa/Cloncurry to support processing and recovering critical minerals from existing tailings operations as longstanding copper mining operations shut down.
“The study released today looks at what impacts will be felt in the region if a few or all proposed vanadium projects become operational by 2031. This baseline data equips both proponents and regulators with vital insights into the potential impacts on local communities, to support ongoing work to create lasting community benefits. This work helps project proponents, local community stakeholders and government agencies avoid duplication so they can get on with their developments faster.”
Dale Last
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines
Regulation
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Retailers will be required to include better offer messages on digital communications alongside energy bills after the Australian Energy Market Commission made a final determination on improving the ability for consumers to switch to a better offer. Better offer messages have been required on bills since 2019 in Victoria and 2023 in other states/territories, but the AEMC says many customers, such as those who have set up direct debit, do not open and read their energy bills, meaning they miss the message.
The WA government launched Resources Online to simplify environmental applications under the Mining Act 1978 and state petroleum legislation. The new digital portal will ultimately replace the current Environmental Assessment and Regulatory System (EARS).
Technology
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Transgrid called for expressions of interest in a slice of its $4.7 innovation fund for:
- Research into modifying the drivers of network demand usage patterns
- Flexible load technologies that intelligently manage energy consumption
- Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to integrate and optimise distributed energy resource
- New control and grid integration tools to better manage electricity flows and enhance system reliability.
Climate
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Australia could face more than $100 billion in costs to children and young people from climate disasters before 2060, according to a UNICEF Australia report which called for a National Disaster Framework for Children and Young People.
“The report shows the immediate physical dangers to children from disasters are relatively low, due to Australia’s well established evacuation procedures and emergency services, but children’s developmental stage means they are more at risk of long-term impacts that uniquely apply to their age. This is often overlooked in disaster recovery planning, and young people who experience disasters due to warming in future generations will face significant challenges to their development, and productivity challenges for the nation as a whole.”
Katie Maskiell
Head of Policy and Advocacy, UNICEF Australia
People
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The Australian National University announced Professor Genevieve Bell had resigned as Vice-Chancellor.
Equinor and Shell announced the appointment of Neil McCulloch as CEO and Nicoletta Giadrossi as Chair of their offshore UK Incorporated Joint Venture, Adura.
Research
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A study published in Materials Futures identified how thermal stress, both in the dark and under illumination, critically affects the stability of perovskite solar cells. By subjecting the devices to accelerated stress tests that mirror industry standards, the team mapped out the key failure pathways to understand how to reach commercially viable, high-efficiency perovskite solar technologies for future sustainable energy generation.
Random
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Want to install solar? Try your local supermarket. After a successful pilot in Melbourne, Aldi is rolling out its PV and battery offering to selected stores in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. (One Step Off The Grid)
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What's On
September 15
Queensland Clean Energy Summit
Corrs Chambers Westgarth Partner Melissa Grintner, Windlab Chief Development Officer Nathan Blundell, Aula Energy Head of Development Anthony Russo, regional mayors Greg Williamson and Andrew Smith, and Jo Sheppard from the Queensland Farmers' Federation are among the line-up at this Clean Energy Council event in Brisbane.
September 16
The Price of Power: The Future of Australia's Energy Sector
Bluescope Chief Executive, Climate Change and Sustainability Deborah Caudle, Alinta Energy CEO Jeff Dimery, AGL CEO Damien Nicks and Australian Energy Council CEO Louisa Kinnear will speak at this American Chamber of Commerce event in Melbourne, with R. Blair Thomas, CEO of US energy investment firm EIG speaking via Zoom.
September 16-18
Industrial Net Zero Conference 2025
Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean, Viva Energy Future Fuels Manager Vanessa Lenihan, Jemena General Manager Environment & Sustainability Sonia Fourie, Vulcan Energy Head of Sustainability Samantha Langley and ARENA’s Technical Lead on Decarbonisation Peter Haenke are among the speakers at this event in Sydney.
September 18
Shaping the future of energy in the North, Broome
Horizon Power Future Technology & Innovation Manager David Edwards will speak alongside WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy Manager for Climate and Energy Steven Mills and Renew Map Co-founder Alex Thompson at this Broome Chamber of Commerce & Industry event.
September 23
AEMO's Annual Results
Australian Energy Market Operator CEO Daniel Westerman and Executive General Manager for Finance and Governance Vanessa Hannan will outline progress against strategic priorities and initiatives, financial results for FY25 and priorities for FY26.
September 24
Updated net zero pathways for Australia
The Net Zero Australia Project team from the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland and Princeton University will present their latest report on the roles of renewables, energy storage and firming including nuclear, carbon capture and storage and other complementary technologies at this hybrid event.
October 7-8
NEM Development Conference 2025
EnergyAustralia Managing Director Mark Collette and Powerlink CEO Paul Simshauser will headline this Brisbane event hosted by Griffith University and UQ, which will also feature Queensland Farmers Federation CEO Jo Sheppard, NEM Review panel Chair Tim Nelson, Victoria Energy Policy Centre Director Bruce Mountain, University of Sydney Professor of Law Penny Crossley, Iberdrola GM Regulation & Energy Policy Joel Gilmore and Global Roam CEO Paul McArdle.
October 15
The Energy Q&A with the NEM Review panel
NEM Review panel Tim Nelson, Paula Conboy, Ava Hancock and Phil Hirschhorn will speak at this webinar moderated by The Energy Advisory Board Member Anna Hancock.
October 16-17
IGCC Summit 2025: Decoding the transition
Generation Investment Management Founding Partner and former US Vice President Al Gore will headline this Sydney event from the Investor Group on Climate Change. Other speakers include NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe, Climate Change Authority Chair Matt Kean, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel, ARENA Associate Director Tanya Hodgeson and Net Zero Economy Agency CEO David Shankey.
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