This Month
Morgan Stanley says Australia at ‘front of the queue’ for oil hit
The Wall Street investment bank’s strategists have told clients that an extended conflict in the Middle East could have an outsized hit to earning on the ASX.
Another renewable energy project in Queensland falls into strife
A Chinese solar company has scrapped its proposal after significant opposition from a regional community.
Power prices improve but experts warn it’s not likely to last
Average household electricity bills are set to drop 3 per cent on July 1 under a draft ruling, but the end of the federal energy bill subsidy means spending on power will still rise.
RETRACTION: We could run out of fuel – and our reserves are overseas
The Australian Financial Review has retracted this article because the author’s claim that a “significant portion of Australia’s strategic fuel reserve is held offshore, largely in the United States” was factually incorrect.
Third big battery Queensland is considering for the chop
The state’s planning minister will have the final say on a series of large-scale battery projects that were headed for court appeals.
February
Waratah Super Battery faces longer delay in test for NSW grid
NSW’s flagship energy storage project won’t be fully online until late this year, eating into payments due to BlackRock-owned Akaysha Energy.
The vacant lot at the heart of Labor’s battery manufacturing dream
An empty field at an old coal-fired power station is all that remains of plans to build a high-tech battery manufacturing hub in Queensland.
KKR deal ‘validates HMC’s transition strategy’: Di Pilla
HMC chief executive David Di Pilla said a $603 million commitment from KKR means the energy transition fund won’t need more equity for two to three years.
Octopus strikes deals for $3.3b battery outlay
The acquisition of projects Queensland includes one set to be the country’s biggest battery, as NSW kicks off its largest rollout of big batteries.
Home batteries smash records, but households miss out on extra dollars
Many Australians are not getting the full value of their solar and storage because they are not confident about signing up to virtual power plant programs.
Labor raises risk and slashes profit targets for $5b Net Zero Fund
Industry Minister Tim Ayres has slashed the target rate of return for the new Net Zero Fund, exposing taxpayers to more risk.
We need gas and small nuclear to power AI data centres
There are two things we can do rapidly and easily to expedite new sources of replacement baseload power as coal closes.
January
Listen to Larry Fink: Data centres can’t run on renewables only
AI needs dispatchable power. But so do large industrial users. In Australia, that means keeping coal for much longer. And that’s before we even talk nuclear.
Turbine giant Vestas bullish about prospects for wind-farm renaissance
A string of approvals and final investment decisions after a year-long pause in new projects has the industry more optimistic about meeting government targets.
December 2025
Billions in wind farm commitments finally get sluggish pipeline moving
A string of commitments over the last week will lead to projects that can power 400,000 homes getting off the ground. But big challenges remain, industry says.
Nuclear, offshore wind still more costly by 2050: CSIRO
Relying on solar power and onshore wind for new generation should provide the lowest-cost mix of technologies for 2030 and 2050, the science agency has found.
Renewables go-slow shatters hopes for lower power prices
Households are likely to face higher power bills over the next 10 years because the pace of the clean energy build-out is too slow.
Data centres put brakes on Labor’s emissions goals
Explosive data centre power demand proposals have forced the Albanese government to downgrade its electricity sector emissions reduction forecasts.
Labor to let $15b National Reconstruction Fund make riskier plays
None of the projects the NRF has invested in have been in low-emissions technologies, one of seven priority areas for the fund.
November 2025
Snowy Hydro inks deals to drive renewables expansion
Contracts to buy wind power and battery capacity should move two major projects in South Australia and Victoria closer to construction.
