The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $950,000 in funding for gas company BOC to develop a renewable hydrogen production and refuelling project in Queensland. The $3.1 million pilot project will involve the installation of a 220kW electrolyser and a 100kW solar array at BOC’s Bulwer Island gas facility to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis, and will utilise the [...]
Coles Group has announced a 10-year agreement with power generation company, Metka EGN, to build new solar power plants in regional New South Wales. In the first deal of its kind to be made by a major Australian retailer, Coles will purchase more than 70 per cent of the electricity generated by three solar power plants to be built and [...]
Western Power has commenced a new inspection trial, using drones to assist with visual inspections of faults around the Northam and Geraldton areas. The drones will increase response times to outages and detect faults, and are capable of withstanding electromagnetic interference, allowing safe navigation near powerlines. Drone pilots will be able to switch between two different cameras, a high powered [...]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Australian Government has announced up to $40 million worth of funding for the development of a Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (PHES) project in South Australia. ARENA’s funding will help to fast track development of South Australia’s first PHES plant. The successful funding recipient will be at least 200MW in capacity and must [...]
Port of Newcastle has welcomed support from the New South Wales Government for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the port. The Newcastle GasDock project, with an estimated direct onshore investment of up to $250 million at the port, received Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) status on 14 August 2019 from New South Wales Minister for Planning [...]
After a hard fought battle, the winner of South Australia’s best tasting tap water for 2019 has been announced at the Water Industry Operators Association SA Conference and Expo on 7 August. Water produced from SA Water’s Swan Reach Water Treatment Plant in the Murraylands went up against more than a dozen samples from other water facilities across the state [...]
AGL has informed the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) of its schedule for the closure of power stations in New South Wales and South Australia, providing advanced notice of the station closures in accordance with reporting requirements. AGL has confirmed a schedule to close its Liddell power station in the Upper Hunter region of NSW and its Torrens A power [...]
The August round of allocations for the Victorian Solar Homes program has faced another disastrous month, with allocations for the program running out within 106 minutes, causing frustration to potential customers and small solar businesses. Following the most recent exhaustion of allocations, the Clean Energy Council said that urgent changes are needed to the Victorian Solar Homes program or large [...]
Jemena has revealed its proposed pipeline alignment for the Galilee Gas Pipeline (GGP) which will connect gas from Galilee Energy’s Glenaras Gas Project near Longreach, Queensland, to Jemena’s Gas Pipeline near Injune. The announcement comes ahead of public consultation and broad stakeholder engagement which is expected to commence in 2020. The proposed pipeline will span 585km and will include two [...]
Energy utility company, ENGIE, has officially opened its Willogoleche Wind Farm in Hallett, South Australia, one of the largest renewable energy projects in the state to date. The new Willogoleche Wind Farm brings a generating capacity of 119MW, capable of delivering renewable energy to 80,000 homes across South Australia. State Minister for Energy and Mining, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, and [...]
New technology from Monash University has addressed the issue of energy-intensive conventional approaches to seawater desalination and wastewater recycling, achieving almost 100 per cent salt removal through solar power. Researchers at Monash University have developed energy-passive technology that is able to deliver clean, potable water to thousands of communities, simply by using photothermal materials and the power of the sun. [...]
Residents of Boort in Victoria’s North-West are set to receive improved water security and greater network efficiency with the rollout of Coliban Water’s Digital Metering Program in the town. The rollout, set to begin in late July 2019, is part of Stage 2 of a four stage program, which is expected to be completed within a six year period. Coliban [...]
The Northern Territory Government has awarded Major Project Status to Sun Cable's Australia-Singapore Power Link (ASPL). The proposed Australia-Singapore Power Link is a $20 billion, 10GW solar farm and a 20-30GW hour storage facility near Tennant Creek. It is the largest solar farm under development in the world and will supply loads in the Darwin and Singapore markets via a [...]
The role that hydrogen, renewable energy and natural gas technologies play in the home is about to be investigated as ATCO launches its Clean Energy Innovation Hub project in Western Australia. The research facility will investigate the potential role of hydrogen in the future energy mix, as natural gas provides a lower carbon alternative to other traditional energy sources. ATCO's [...]
An explosion at the gas-fired Mortlake Power Station in Victoria has caused significant damage to a generator, taking it out of operation. The explosion was caused by an electrical fault and damaged one of its two generating units at around 6am on Monday 8 July. No one was injured in the blast. Origin Energy, the operators of the plant, confirmed [...]
In an Australian first, Melbourne Water is set to trial real-time monitoring technology of an industrial stormwater catchment at Dandenong Creek to address industrial pollution following a high-profile foam pollution event in November 2017. Senior Planning Engineer from Melbourne Water, Heath Baker, said that following the foam spill the community, Melbourne Water and the Council were keen to find a [...]
CitiPower is in the final stages of rolling out a $250 million upgrade to Melbourne CBD’s electricity infrastructure. Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, joined CitiPower Chief Executive Officer, Tim Rourke, for the first official project tour on 2 July 2019. The Melbourne CBD Security of Supply project was conceived to ensure that if unexpected events, [...]
The Federal Court has dismissed a case instituted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) against Kimberly Clark and their ‘flushable' branded wipes. The ACCC alleged that Kimberly-Clark was misleading consumers about the suitability of its wipes to be flushed down the toilet by describing its products as ‘flushable’ on product packaging and its website. The ACCC argued that [...]
A new digital metering program will be rolled out on behalf of Coliban Water for the Victorian town of Rochester in an effort to improve water security and achieve greater network efficiency for customers. Manager Infrastructure, Corey Bourne, said Rochester would be the first town in 2019 to have the digital technology installed as part of Stage Two works. “This [...]
West Australian Energy Minister, Bill Johnston, has announced that through Horizon Power, more regional Western Australian residents will have the opportunity to install rooftop solar panels on their premises. The West Australian Government and Horizon Power are joining together to provide more renewable energy solutions as part of a commitment to delivering reliable and safe power to residents and businesses [...]
The Commonwealth and Queensland Governments have partnered to deliver $114.5 million in funding to help communities impacted by the North and Far North Queensland Monsoon Trough to restore damage and build stronger, more disaster-resilient infrastructure. Federal Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, David Littleproud, said the $100 million Betterment Fund and the $14.5 million Water and Sewerage Infrastructure Program [...]
Jemena has reached a deal with Senex Energy for the acquisition of the Roma North gas processing facility and pipeline in south-west Queensland for $50 million. The acquisition will see Jemena own and operate the Roma North processing facility and pipeline to transport gas to the Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas Project. The pipeline is capable of transporting up to 16TJ [...]
Australia’s largest integrated battery and solar farm has opened in North Western Victoria, able to store clean energy from the Gannawarra Solar Farm and provide much-needed power to the state’s energy grid. Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, visited the Gannawarra Energy Storage System outside Kerang for the official opening and to see the big battery in [...]
A new 375MVA transformer has been commissioned by Powerlink Queensland in a bid to further secure electricity supply for Brisbane’s CBD and south east. Powerlink Chief Executive, Merryn York, said the transformer, located at its Belmont substation, was an important link in Powerlink’s transmission network. “The new transformer ensures the ongoing reliability of electricity supply for Brisbane’s CBD, south-eastern suburbs [...]
In a national first, an APLNG-Armour Energy joint venture will seek out gas, entirely reserved for Australian manufacturers, in Queensland’s highly prospective southwest. Queensland Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Dr Anthony Lynham, announced the joint venture’s successful bid for 18km2 of land 22km southwest of Chinchilla. Under the permit’s conditions, gas can only be sold to Australian manufacturing [...]
The Managing Director of a major NSW water utility has been appointed the new Chief Water Officer for the NSW Government, effective 1 July 2019. Jim Bentley, who has been with Hunter Water since 2016, will join the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and will be responsible for negotiating with other jurisdictions and the Commonwealth to make sure the [...]
The winners of the 2019 Smart Cities Awards have been revealed at a Gala Awards Ceremony as part of the Smart Cities 2019 Conference in Melbourne. Awards were handed out in six categories, celebrating the greatest achievements in the development, technological advancement and interconnection of cities around Australia. The aim of these awards is to gather some of the best [...]
The 2019 federal election results are in, with Labor conceding defeat and the Liberal National Coalition forming a majority government. With climate change and rising energy prices among the most fiercely debated issues during the campaign, what exactly do the election results mean for the utility industry? The majority of policies promoted by the Liberal Party in the lead up [...]
Ausgrid has contracted two specialist helicopters to carry out annual aerial inspections of the electricity network in bushfire prone parts of the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney. Ausgrid Chief Operating Officer, Trevor Armstrong, said this year the patrols began in the Upper Hunter. “We saw this year’s bushfire danger period extended in parts of our network including the Upper Hunter, [...]
An Australian water utility has joined the top utilities in the world by becoming one of the newest members of the Leading Utilities of the World network. Yarra Valley Water made the announcement in May 2019, joining the global alliance of the world’s most successful and innovative water and wastewater utilities. To become a member, utilities must be nominated by [...]
Read the latest issue online
Sponsored Content
-
Safeguarding assets against erosion September 16, 2024
On Thursday 26 September 2024, the Streets Opening Coordination Council (SOCC) w...
-
Innovating facility management September 9, 2024
In today's fast-paced tech world, staying ahead in facility and asset management...
-
Converting waste into valuable resources September 6, 2024
As rising waste levy rates drive increased recycling efforts, ALLU buckets can h...
-
Faster on-site RH sensor validation September 4, 2024
Rotronic, part of Process Sensing Technologies, has launched a new version of it...
-
Registration opens for All Energy 2024 August 21, 2024
Visitors can now secure their tickets to the All Energy Australia Exhibition and...
