Now and next – current issues for Australia’s offshore wind industry

On 27 April 2023, applications closed for the first round of feasibility licences to be issued under the Commonwealth’s new offshore electricity infrastructure (OEI) regime. While we await the Minister’s decisions on those applications, there is much more happening in the Australian offshore wind industry. We discuss key updates, considerations for getting projects off the … Read more

Public Consultation open for GO Scheme for hydrogen and renewable energy certification

The Australian government is consulting with stakeholders on two policy papers drafted for a proposed Guarantee of Origin (GO) Scheme for hydrogen and renewable electricity certification. Consultation on the policy papers closes on 3 February 2023. Snapshot The Guarantee of Origin (GO) Scheme is proposed to measure, track and verify greenhouse gas emissions, initially for … Read more

Contracts for Difference (CfD) Scheme consultation updates

BEIS has published its response to a consultation which ran from 2 March to 29 May 2020 on proposed changes to the CfD scheme. CfDs incentivise investment in renewables by providing generators with protection from volatility in wholesale prices, as well as protecting consumers from paying increased support costs when electricity prices are high. BEIS … Read more

600MW Round 2 Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) auction to drive Victoria’s Covid recovery

Victorian Government announce market sounding process to test industry interest and capacity for 600+ MW of new solar, wind and other renewable energy projects. Round 2 VRET auction The Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, announced on 2 September 2020 the commencement of a market sounding process from interested proponents for the … Read more

Planning for the future of energy storage – a boost to the industry

The UK Government has announced legislation to change the consenting process for electricity storage projects. This is expected to provide a boost to the battery storage sector. Last November, we wrote a blog detailing the Government’s proposed changes in relation to energy storage under planning law. The Government is now proceeding with its proposals and … Read more

Investments in Energy: The Case for Oil and Gas [In a Nutshell]

Joining William Powell and Joseph Murphy of Natural Gas World, Lewis McDonald discusses what the future now looks like in terms of investments in energy, namely oil and gas. Given the burgeoning global population, rising standards of living and climate goals, there has been a serious increase in awareness and concern in global climate change around the world. The environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda is now at the top of many companies’ priorities though currently appearing to mainly affect companies in Europe and less so in Asia. Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, ESG was the major issue being discussed in board rooms. With about 12,000 entities, together controlling around $14 trillion, divesting or wanting to divest from fossil fuels primarily based on consumer demand and consumer sentiment and where the laws and regulation are heading, we have seen rather a chilling effect on investment in the oil and gas sector – and the big question is ... where does it all go from here… Read more