Catch up
Capital
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Low-carbon fuels company HAMR Energy, founded by former ExxonMobil and shipping executives, launched a $10 million Series A capital raise to support a project pipeline of sustainable fuels for the transport and industrial sectors. Using forestry waste as a feedstock, the company is developing a complete production process to turn biomass to fuel.
Awaiting environmental approval from NOPSEMA, Emperor Energy (ASX: EMP) said an audit by a petroleum consultancy confirmed the Judith resource located 2km north of the Esso/Woodside Kipper Gas Field offshore Gippsland, Victoria, supported high flow rate commercial wells. Executive Director Phil McNamara said the cornerstone gas supply project could have a “materially positive impact” on the east coast gas crisis amid declining production from southern gas fields.
 Projects
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Offshore wind proponent BlueFloat Energy is reportedly considering the sale of its Victorian project, according to The Australian. A spokesman for the company declined to comment and insisted that no final decision had been made. Meanwhile Norwegian energy giant Equinor is yet to formally accept an offshore wind development licence in NSW. (Sky)
Emerging Queensland utility QPM Energy (ASX: QPM) pitched its proposed Isaac Energy Hub as an asset to the state’s unique energy transition. Served by QPM’s gas reserves, the 112MW plant - with turbines secured despite a global shortage - will be co-located with the existing Moranbah Gas Processing and Compression Facility. CEO David Wrench told an investor webinar that building out electricity generation capacity (targeting 500MW) would make electricity sales its largest source of revenue. A 100MW four-hour battery and additional gas-fired generation is in the pipeline for Stage 2.
Energy transition infrastructure specialist Quinbrook announced the start of commercial operations at a landmark British project. Cleve Hill Solar Park in Kent is now exporting at 100% of its 373 MW capacity, which is more than four times the size of the next largest operational UK solar project. The first such project to be consented as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, it was also supported by the largest solar and battery storage project financing ever closed in the UK. In May, electricity exports from Cleve Hill during commissioning peaked at a level equivalent to 0.7% of national power demand.
Policy
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The Quad - Australia, Japan, India and the United States - underscored the importance of diversified and reliable global supply chains for critical minerals.
“Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security.” - Joint statement from the Quad foreign ministers
US Senate Republicans have taken the sprawling megabill the House sent them and sharpened it further, making President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda more politically explosive. (Politico) (Reuters) (BBC)
According to an American Clean Power analysis:
- Clean energy businesses will be taxed an additional US$4-7 billion by 2036
- Electricity prices for consumers and businesses will rise by 8-10%
- With power demand projected to surge 35-50% by 2040, there would be 300GW less wind and solar project capacity built to meet it
- Jobs and capital investment will plummet: 300,000 jobs will vanish and US$450 billion in lost investment capital
- Data centres will look elsewhere to find more affordable power sources, ceding the digital race to China.
The European Commission proposed an EU emissions reduction target of 90% by 2040, a softer target than initially planned. It said the target would "give certainty to investors...and increase Europe's energy security". (Politico) (The Guardian)
Regulation
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The Australian Energy Regulator plans to keep a close eye on the adequacy of consumer protections and information about tariff changes in the upcoming accelerated smart meter rollout. Releasing its compliance and enforcement priorities for 2025-26, the regulator will also monitor gas pipeline service providers who face a “death spiral” in their customer base.
Technology
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Robotics pioneer Luminous received $4.9 million as the first recipient of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s $100 million Solar ScaleUp Challenge, which is crowdsourcing ideas on how to reduce the cost of large-scale solar. The LUMI robot addresses one of the industry’s most labour-intensive tasks: panel installation.
“ARENA has set an ambitious goal to reduce the installed cost of solar to 30 cents per watt and bring the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) below $20 per megawatt hour. These are important targets, because at this cost solar will form the foundation for Australia’s renewable energy ‘superpower’ future.” - ARENA CEO Darren Miller
AI giant Nvidia backed a US startup that enables AI data centres to flexibly adjust their power consumption from the grid. Emerald AI’s software shifts AI computational loads to match regional grids' needs. (Axios) (Latitude Media)
Climate
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Climate scientists are alarmed by the Trump administration’s latest attack on research after the 35-year old Global Change Research Program website went dark despite being required to publish periodic climate assessments. The removal of these reports and the potential failure to write new ones could be grounds for legal action under the Global Change Research Act of 1990 that established the research program. (Inside Climate News)
People
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University students will be matched with NSW businesses to work on emissions-reducing projects under a new “Skills for Net Zero” internship program from the NSW Government. The three-year, $1 million pilot program will cover 100 tertiary students. Participating businesses will receive recruitment and placement support and a $2,500 payment to subsidise the intern’s wage, paid after the internship is completed.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Community and Leadership) Lucy Marshall and Engineering Director of Google Research Australia Grace Chung jointly won the Judy Raper Award at a UNSW Women in Engineering event.
“As a woman in engineering, I can say with absolute certainty that being in an environment where women’s leadership is expected, is nurtured and even celebrated has made all the difference. I carry that legacy into every role I’ve taken on since, and I try to pay it forward wherever I can. I’m also incredibly proud of the work the university continues to do in championing women in engineering more broadly. It’s not just about individual careers - it’s about shifting the culture, and I’m grateful to have been part of that journey.” - UNSW Professor Lucy Marshall
Research
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The vast majority of gas from fracking in the Beetaloo Basin would be exported, environmental advocacy group Market Forces said, in new analysis questioning claims the gas could be used to meet domestic demand. Market Forces said the project would produce more than nine times the entire gas demand forecast by AEMO for Australia’s NEM for the next 25 years, and would come with a $4 billion pipeline cost to deliver to the east coast.
Machine learning has become an enabling technology for maximising energy grid efficiency, load forecasting and renewable integration but its potential remains unfulfilled because of lingering data quality issues, computational requirements and scalability, according to research published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.
An increasing number of nuclear reactors and entire power plants are being closed down around the world, but little attention is paid to issues around dismantling and the future use of these sites, according to research published in Energy Research and Social Science.
Random
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Millions of websites will now be able to block AI bots from accessing their content without permission. (BBC) (ZDNet)
