Energy

Despite a wind turbine fire in June having the potential to have caused widespread devastation, the Victorian Government has no plan to address and prevent future catastrophes … the Minister for Emergency Services was unable to report to Parliament or the thousands of CFA volunteers which turbines are fitted with fire suppression equipment, and what resources will be available to CFA volunteers to combat potential fires across any of the thousands of turbines distributed across some of the most fire prone areas in Victoria.

The Newstead solar project that was launched in August is rolling out and has been holding regular information sessions at the Newstead Rural Transfer Centre. The project, a partnership between Renewable Newstead and retailer Flow Power, centres around the newly operational Newstead Solar Farm.

Automotive company Lovells Automotive Systems  donated and provided generators to communities such as Menindee RFS to keep essential power, communications and services running during the recent Far West power outages. "We're honored to support the resilient communities of Far West NSW during these challenging times."

The Federal Government’s push to go ‘green’ appears to be spiralling out of control, with new costs estimated that the transition will take $1.3 to $1.5 trillion … What do we get for our money? Cheap, reliable, centralised power generation, with technology that will last for more than half a century? Or expensive, decentralised, precious metal intensive, unreliable, short-lived technology that will carve across some of Australia’s most precious landscape?

This month, the Gordon Dam, nestled in Tasmania's untamed south-west, reaches a significant milestone - it celebrates its 50th year. It is a marvel of Australian engineering and ambition. This monumental project, completed in 1974, transformed a remote wilderness into a powerhouse of renewable energy, supplying around 25 per cent  of Tasmania's electricity today. Standing 140 meters tall, the 50-year-old dam holds the title of Australia's highest arch dam, constructed using a double-curvature design that maximised strength while minimising costs.

The storage imperative: Powering Australia’s clean energy transition is authored by Associate Professor Guillaume Roger from Monash University’s Faculty of Business and Economics. His analysis shows that how we trade electricity today, and the financial instruments that support such trade, are inadequate to deal with intermittent energy and storage.

Narrandera Shire Council has secured a renewable electricity supply agreement with Iberdrola Australia through to the end of 2030 as part of a buyer’s group facilitating a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 13 regional councils in New South Wales. The agreement secures the supply of over 390-gigawatt hours of electricity to 163 large council sites and streetlighting across regional NSW...

Local farmer Jim “Spud” Hepworth, a Litchfield, Watchem and Donald stalwart and fourth generation cereal and sheep, farmer has starred in a short film that has gone viral overnight. The video, released ... by a local group called Farms For Food, has had over 69,000 views in 24 hours. Mr Hepworth spoke about the community impact that changes such as mineral sand mining and new transmission lines have had in his region.

Essential Energy sent text alerts to more than 4400 customers who are affected by an unplanned power outage ... Areas impacted by the outage include Codrington, Bagotville, Bora Ridge, Coraki, Swan Bay, parts of Bungawalbin, Broadwater, Kilgin, Woodburn and Evans Head.

The Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro megaproject has marked a significant milestone, with one of three tunnel boring machines (TBM), Lady Eileen Hudson, now two-thirds of the way through its second tunnel excavation. The TBM is approximately four kilometres into the six kilometre ‘tailraceʼ tunnel, which will link the lower Talbingo Reservoir…

After arriving via the Rural Fire Service helicopter, Premier of NSW Chris Minns and Member for Barwon Roy Butler entered the Golf Club with no fanfare and immediately began to introduce themselves to the 60 Wilcannia, White Cliffs and rural residents present ... Following the Premiers visit, Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe hosted another, smaller gathering on Sunday the 27th October. Adopting the same approach as the Premier, the Minister spoke to local business owners, before answering questions from the floor.

Community anger is simmering, as Wilcannia locals say support efforts don't go far enough. Residents of Wilcannia have taken to social media to vent their frustrations at what they say is an inadequate response to the ongoing power outages and loss of food for many households.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP and NSW Minister for Climate Change, Energy Environment & Heritage Penny Sharpe recently met with concerned community members in the Far West village of Silverton ... Mr Butler said Transgrid has now erected its seventh and final replacement transmission tower ...

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Agriculture Minister, David Littleproud, said this week that Labor’s planned 240-kilometre Victorian stretch of the VNI West powerline will rip up prime agriculture land ... Yeungroon farmer Glenden Watts said the whole project isn’t necessary ... “The route does a dog-leg into farming land, rather than the populated areas."

Transmission Company Victoria (TCV) today released the preferred easement for the Victorian section of the VNI West transmission project ... The process to refine the initial 50km wide area of interest to a 2km draft corridor and now a 70m preferred easement has been shaped by 18 months of consultation with communities and individual landholders, along with field studies and technical and engineering assessments.

Four transmission towers have been erected as the clean-up starts after the huge storms that have left the city in darkness ... Once all seven towers are up, the conductors will be strung and once they are clipped in and it is safe to do so, the towers will be energised, according to the Transgrid spokesman...

Amidst changes to regulations and community engagement requirements, the Queensland Government is seeking feedback on its approach to renewable energy projects ... From over 1,000 conversations during the REZ readiness assessment for the anticipated Callide Renewable Energy Zone in Central Queensland, locals showed that regional communities want greater engagement, accessible advice, real choices, clearer information...

The proposed Cooba Solar Project will cover a massive 665 hectares of some of the best wine country in Victoria with 740,000 solar panels and 300 batteries the size of shipping containers. There are over 30 wineries along the Heathcote-Rochester Road that bring a constant stream of tourists to the area ... The area is prime agricultural land, with high-quality soil that is particularly suited to grape-growing ...