A pre-feasibility study has found it is technically viable to export solar energy from the Pilbara to the ASEAN region and could be the next big energy export for Western Australia. A large-scale solar export project could create up to 2,000 jobs in the Pilbara, helping to diversify the region's economy. The Pilbara has one of the highest levels of [...]
AGL has agreed to sell North Queensland gas assets to a consortium. The consortium includes Chinese gas distribution company Shandong Order Gas, and Australian energy investment company Orient Energy. The assets comprise AGL’s 50 per cent interest in each of the Moranbah Gas Project Joint Venture (MGPJV) and the North Queensland Energy Joint Venture (NQEJV), and AGL's participation rights in the [...]
SA Water’s Morgan Water Treatment Plant will receive a $15 million upgrade to help meet demand and improve water quality for more than 130,000 customers. The project has been contracted to Leed Engineering and Construction who will begin construction in late 2017 and will employ around 20 people for the duration of work. Work will include the construction of a [...]
nbn has reached another significant rollout milestone with six million homes and businesses now able to connect to the NBN. The Fibre-to-the-Node (FTTN) and Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC, also known previously as pay TV cable) deployments are driving the increased rollout pace with the two technologies now serving more than half of the six million premises able to connect to [...]
Preliminary survey works have begun in areas of Heathcote as part of Coliban Water’s $5.8 million Heathcote Sewer Scheme Project. General Manager Service Delivery and Infrastructure, Neville Pearce, said residents in affected areas received formal notification in early August 2017 about the proposed alignment and survey works. “We have been speaking directly with residents in the areas identified that will [...]
An inaugural ranking recognising the top 50 women in the Victorian Public Sector has been released, acknowledging exceptional female leaders building high performing teams and transforming their communities. Among the women recognised in the Top 50 Public Sector Women (VIC), undertaken by recruitment and HR consulting firm Davidson, includes City West Water’s People and Capability General Manager, Louise Meadows; and Melbourne [...]
Yarra Valley Water will soon begin work on finding a suitable location in the Doncaster Hill area for the construction of a treatment plant which will produce recycled water. To support finding a site, Yarra Valley Water has established an independent expert panel to guide public engagement on this issue in September 2017. The public engagement will involve proposing several [...]
In its recently released July 2017 LNG report, Energy Quest reported Australian LNG shipments jumped to a record 5.4 million tonnes (81 cargoes), up from 4.9 million tonnes in June 2017. Two Western Australian projects led the charge for the increase with Gorgon increasing its shipments to 1.4 million tonnes, while North West Shelf (NWS) shipped to 1.5 million tonnes. [...]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is contributing $12 million towards a new large-scale battery being built at the Dalrymple substation on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia that will demonstrate how energy storage can strengthen the grid and its potential to lower energy prices. ARENA CEO, Ivor Frischknecht, said the battery - the second phase of the Energy Storage [...]
nbn has announced it has exceeded its three core targets for the 2017 financial year. Over 12 months ending June 30 2017, nbn reported it almost doubled the amount of premises ready for service, increased the number of homes and businesses with an active NBN service by 1.3 million, and grew its revenue from $421 million to $1billion. nbn remains [...]
The Federal Government has announced funding support for the $155.6 million Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme (NAIS) which will create an estimated 3700 jobs and add more than $500 million a year to the state’s economy. Funding has been secured through the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund (NWIDF) for the NAIS, which adds to $110 million committed by the State Government [...]
The South Australian Government has awarded the contract for construction of a 150 megawatt solar thermal power station with eight hours of energy storage near the town of Port Augusta as part of its plan to procure 25 per cent of its electricity load from dispatchable renewable energy providers and drive innovation in storage. SolarReserve was awarded the contract to supply [...]
Unitywater has signed a contract with an IoT software company to extend their partnership by three years to continue optimising its network efficiency, improve customer service, and reduce water loss. The water and sewerage service provider, based in South East Queensland, has implemented TaKaDu’s system across 90 per cent of its network, previously preventing billions of litres of water loss [...]
City West Water has awarded the contract for the $24 million Spencer Street Sewer Upgrade project in Melbourne. Quinn Civil will design and install a gravity sewer along Spencer Street from Little Lonsdale Street to Flinders Lane in Melbourne. The project involves approximately 740m of 400mm and 1400mm diameter gravity sewer. The Spencer Street Upgrade project is part of a [...]
34 new NBN sites are due to go live in August 2017 across Australia, adding to the existing network of 1700 fixed wireless towers. The news sites are located in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria. Minister for Regional Communications, Fiona Nash, welcomed the continued momentum of the NBN fixed wireless rollout, following the activation of [...]
AGL has announced Crib Point (Western Port) in Victoria as the preferred site for a gas import jetty and pipeline to increase energy security and supply for customers in south eastern Australia. Crib Point is best placed to serve Victoria, Australia’s largest gas market, as well as take advantage of the existing pipeline network, industrial port facility and associated infrastructure. [...]
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and South Australia’s Hornsdale Stage 2 Wind Farm are collaborating to trial whether a wind farm can provide important power system stability services. Hornsdale Stage 2 has been developed by French renewable energy company Neoen in conjunction with international infrastructure investor, John Laing. Slated to begin in October [...]
A new rock reamer will be used to build a new 2.5km sewerage pipeline that will service the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. The project is one of two new major sewerage pipelines Pipeline Drillers is constructing on behalf of Unitywater. The other pipeline will be 3.2km from Mountain Creek under Kawana Way to the Kawana Sewage Treatment Plant. [...]
Research conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) has identified around 5,000 potentially suitable pumped hydro storage sites in Queensland, Tasmania, the Canberra district, and in and around Alice Springs. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $449,000 support for the ANU-led study, aiming to develop a nation-wide atlas of potential off-river pumped hydro storage sites. Professor Andrew Blakers, [...]
The Queensland Government is getting ready to restart Swanbank E power station, securing gas and starting to recruit staff in an attempt to generate more electricity for queenslanders. Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, told State Parliament the 385MW Swanbank E power station, which was mothballed in 2014 and dismissed 25 staff, would restart by the end of 2017. “Restarting Swanbank E and [...]
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has provided $5 million in funding to a Wollongong-based company to develop and trial a new technology which could see excess renewable energy stored in the gas grid and used to decarbonise Australia’s gas supply. AquaHydrex will commercially develop its new class of electrolyser that produces cheap hydrogen from splitting water. In partnership with [...]
The Federal Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), is providing $5 million to a Brisbane-based energy technology company to develop smart switchgear that will help maintain stability of the electricity grid. The funding was awarded to NOJA Power, who’s new switchgear technology will be deployed at 100 locations across the distribution network to maintain frequency at 50 hertz [...]
Upgrade works at the Greenvale Reservoir have been completed, helping to secure future water supply for more than one million people in Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs. The reservoir can treat and supply more than 200 ML of water per day, enough to service 1.2 million residents from Roxburgh Park and Broadmeadows right through the western suburbs and down to [...]
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) has warned that restricting gas exports to boost domestic supply is likely to be counterproductive. APPEA Chief Executive, Dr Malcolm Roberts, said the government’s proposed Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism (ADGSM) was a short-term fix and not a long-term solution. The Government has confirmed it has begun the formal process to consider whether [...]
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is commissioning research in relation to the NBN customer experience. The initiative is in conjunction with the Turnbull Government’s increasing program of work to ensure customers have a positive experience on the NBN. ACMA, in coordination with the Department of Communications and the Arts and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is obtaining [...]
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