Archived News for Energy Sector Professionals

The Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), a national coalition of health care groups, has released findings that refute any correlation between wind power and decreased human health.

Spanish company Acciona has announced it will construct a $400 million wind farm in Victoria’s Western District, six years after it received planning approval.

Australia-Pacific LNG (APLNG) has signed a binding agreement with the Sinopec Group of China that will see Sinopec take a total of 7.6 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum from the APLNG Project in Gladstone in Queensland. It is the largest LNG supply agreement in Australian history.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus, has announced the latest schools to receive grants as part of the Federal Government's National Solar Schools Program.

Under the 2011-12 round, 784 schools across Australia have each been awarded grants of up to $50,000, which will help save and generate energy, as well as use water more wisely by installing solar and other renewable power systems, rainwater tanks and a range of energy efficiency measures.

Mr Dreyfus said that to date 3,800 schools across Australia have been awarded grants under the program.

"The combination of renewable energy systems installed under this program will generate approximately 20MW of solar power - the equivalent of powering around 4,200 average households each day," he said.

Applications were assessed on value for money criteria, as well as environmental and educational benefits.

Applications from schools located in remote or low socio-economic areas received additional weighting to allow funding to be directed to schools most in need.

Applications for 2012-13, the final round of the National Solar Schools Program, will open on 13 February, 2012. Further information about the Program, including a list of successful grant recipients, is available on the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website.

The Australian Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has announced the appointment of Mr Ross Bunyon, Ms Nancy Fox, Mr Stephen Parbery and Mr Michael Perry to the Energy Security Council.

The University of Melbourne’s Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society (IBES) has become a member of a new research consortium - the Green Touch™ Initiative - which brings together leading Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry players and researchers to fundamentally re-invent the network and reduce ICT energy consumption up to a factor of 1000.

Recruitment specialist Hays has released its January to March quarterly report into labour and skills demand, examining the ‘current hotspots of recruitment activity and trends’.

Queensland energy supplier Ergon Energy has announced it has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement with APA Diamantina Power station to supply energy to North-Western Queensland customers.

QR National and resources giant Rio Tinto have signed a 10 year performance based contract that will see  3 million tonnes of coal per annum moved from Rio Tinto's Blair Athol/ Clermont operations to the Abbot Point Coal Terminal (APCT).

The Federal Government has released a report analyzing the extent to which existing regulatory frameworks support action by major infrastructure sectors in adapting to climate change.

New Zealand’s Meridian Energy has announced it is withdrawing its applications for the development of the proposed windfarm development in Lammermoor Range in Central Otago, following a five year planning battle.

The Australian Energy Market Commission  (AEMC) has published an Issues Paper regarding Energy Market Arrangements for Electric and Natural Gas Vehicles.

Three major Chinese companies have joined The University of Western Australia and 15 other Chinese and Australian science and industry partners to develop new international collaborative approaches to energy and mining research.

The Victorian Government has announced its intentions to establish a Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC) inquiry into determining the most appropriate regulatory framework that will encourage households and businesses to deliver renewable and low emissions energy into the grid, known as distributed power generation.

Japanese oil and gas company, INPEX Corporation and the French giant TOTAL S.A. have  confirmed the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the US$34 billion Ichthys LNG Project. The agreement was announced at a ceremony in Darwin, the site of the onshore gas processing facilities which will be built to produce 8.4 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum.

The Victorian Government has signed a new agreement with the City of Ballarat to investigate the options for a new bioenergy facility that will aim to convert organic waste into renewable energy.

Chevron Australia has announced a natural gas discovery in the Exmouth Plateau area of Western Australia’s Carnarvon Basin.

The partners in the Ichthys liquefied gas project have signed a series of sales agreements that could be worth billions of dollars to the Australian economy, according to Minister for Resources and Energy Martin Ferguson.

Two new bodies responsible for consistency and efficiency in offshore petroleum regulation in Commonwealth waters have commenced operations.

Origin Energy Limited has announced that the first of two units at its Mortlake Power Station is available to be dispatched into the Victorian electricity market.

Mortlake Power Station is a 550 MW gas-fired power station located near Mortlake in South-western Victoria. The power station has two gas turbines and will help to meet the growing demand for peak electricity in eastern Australia.

Completion of Mortlake Power Station's second unit has been delayed so an inspection can be conducted of the generator following a switchyard fault that occurred during the final stages of the unit's commissioning. This inspection will be conducted during the March Quarter.

The project also involved construction of an 83 km underground natural gas transmission pipeline. The power station will be powered by natural gas sourced from Origin's portfolio of gas supply arrangements in the Otway area, with direct access to gas from the Otway Gas Plant and gas storage at Iona.

Origin has the option to expand the capacity of Mortlake Power Station in the future, and the power station has been designed to enable its future conversion to a combined cycle plant.