Infrastructure
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South Australia joins Denmark in elite club of two, ‘pushing the boundaries’ of renewable energy integration
South Australia has joined an elite global club, after being listed alongside Denmark as the only other energy system in the world to be successfully managing significant volumes of surplus variable renewable energy across the year – albeit with a lot of hard work ahead. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s nuclear vision is distorted by ignorance (or worse)
Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan may well have minimal carbon emissions, but the distant time of arrival, and ignoring the well known drawbacks makes it a dud. Continue reading »
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Big battery market charges beyond expectations, now the grid just needs more wind and solar
The big battery storage market continues to charge ahead beyond expectations, buoyed by the doubling of planned capacity at what is already Queensland’s biggest battery, and a host of new projects that have taken the sector to levels and dimensions not contemplated even 12 months ago. Continue reading »
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Five things we learned this week from Ted’s Talk and people who actually know stuff
The Ted Talk: Not reading the room? Chutzpah? Or maybe the Opposition energy spokesman Ted O’Brien was simply unaware that he wasn’t speaking to the local town hall meeting, Sky after Dark or the Institute of Public Affairs. Continue reading »
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Refuting myths about nuclear and renewable energy
Nuclear energy proponents are disseminating several myths that are receiving little or no challenge in the mainstream media. They are incorrect or misleading. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s nuclear thuggery
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull famously described Coalition leader Peter Dutton as a “thug”. That description appears particularly apt in Dutton’s nuclear power plans. Continue reading »
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How Mike Baird’s privatisation almost crippled the Newcastle container terminal
The terms of privatisation included an anti-competitive restriction on the development of a commercial-scale container terminal at Newcastle, primarily to boost the sale price of Port Botany. Continue reading »
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Dutton’s nuclear dream
In the unlikely event that Peter Dutton could manage the succession of problems with nuclear power stations – persistent massive cost overruns; State legislation banning nuclear; and NIMBY backlashes – he would still have a big problem – lack of staff to run the plants. Continue reading »
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China’s quiet energy revolution: the switch from nuclear to renewable energy
There is now a policy dispute about the roles of nuclear and renewable energy in future Australian low emission energy systems. The experience of China over more than a decade provides compelling evidence on how this debate will be resolved. In December 2011 China’s National Energy Administration announced that China would make nuclear energy the Continue reading »
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Sydney transport: formidable task ahead for NSW Labor?
In NSW, Labor is favoured to end the Coalition’s 12 years in office at the forthcoming election. If it wins it faces a formidable task. Continue reading »
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Infrastructure policy ‘Pearl Harboured’
The Government’s response to the ‘independent’ review of Infrastructure Australia involves a surprise attack on public policy which should be rebuffed. Continue reading »
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Syria under the American whip: sanctions that kill
The western sanctions weapon is not new to Syria, but since 2019 it has become a lethal one, destroying entire Syrian sectors and killing its people. Continue reading »
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Australia needs much more solar and wind power, but where are the best sites? We mapped them all
Renewable energy’s share of Australia’s main electricity grid has more than doubled from 16% to 35% in five years, and the federal government wants this figure to reach 82% by 2030. Continue reading »
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Public transport system is one of Hong Kong’s wonders
Bloomberg recently reported that Hong Kong has just been ranked as having the best metropolitan public transit system in the world, ahead of Zurich, Stockholm, Singapore and Helsinki. The study on which the report was based surveyed 60 major cities worldwide. It was carried out by the Oliver Wyman Forum and the Institute of Transportation Continue reading »
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NBN write-down confirms its national importance and Coalition failure
The previous Coalition Government under the Minister for Communication Malcolm Turnbull promised: ’a cheaper, good quality NBN, faster delivered’. It failed on all counts. Continue reading »
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Australia’s frontier economy culture threatens opportunity and growth
John Menadue has written two insightful articles on the $530 billion infrastructure scandal. The documented account of waste and misallocation is deeply concerning not only on its own terms but also as the root cause of an even bigger problem in public sector resource allocation. It is a story of a missed opportunity and commitment Continue reading »
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The $530 billion junk infrastructure scandal – What the PM can do – Part 2 of 2
Sydney and Melbourne’s ‘big infrastructure build’ will soon prove Australia’s ‘big bust’. Our Prime Minister cannot aid and abet this madness. Continue reading »
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Exposed: Sydney, Melbourne’s $530 billion junk infrastructure scandal – Part 1 of 2
Sydney and Melbourne’s ‘big infrastructure build’ will soon prove Australia’s ‘big bust’. Our Prime Minister must not aid and abet this madness. Continue reading »
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Too late to avoid an electricity transition catastrophe?
About two years ago, I wrote an article for Pearls and Irritations (December 1, 2020) suggesting Australia was tracking to repeat and reap the mixed railway gauges folly of the Nineteenth Century in our handling of the transition from fossil fuel to renewable electricity generation. Continue reading »
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The Future of Australia’s telecommunications sector
While successfully rolling out 5G mobile wireless technology and achieving high rates of penetration and quality services for smartphones, telecom providers like Telstra have faced significant investments in infrastructure. At the same time, they have struggled to raise prices and maintain profitability, particularly in the face of the broadband network rollout (NBN), which has come Continue reading »
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The future of NBN – Privatisation in a changing market landscape
This week, the government announced its intention to introduce new legislation that would keep the National Broadband Network (NBN) in public hands, reinforcing its election promise. Continue reading »
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Nuclear Power: the right’s giant red herring
Politicians of the Right keep suggesting Australia should build nuclear power stations. Why? They are slow to build, very expensive and potentially risky, and we have far better alternatives. Their aim is to divide and to wedge. We should treat it as a giant red herring. Continue reading »
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Infrastructure Australia should be abolished
A review of Infrastructure Australia risks putting the cart in front of the horse. It should consider whether the organisation should exist. Continue reading »
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Avoiding a gas shortage is one thing, but what’s needed is action on prices
The Albanese government has accepted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s recommendation to “initiate the first step” to trigger the controversial Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism to avert a supply crisis in eastern Australia. Continue reading »
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Alan Pears: Climate action will drive disruptive change, but we can build on past experience…
Election May 2022 – a new beginning for climate and energy policy? Continue reading »
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Will Timor Sea oil and gas go begging?
The Attorney-General dropped the case against Bernard Collaery on July 7. Dreyfus’ announcement has greatly improved our relationship with Timor Leste and opened the door for smoother negotiations between Australian oil and gas companies and the Timorese government. That relationship is now oiling the wheels for further explorations in the Timor Sea but the wheels Continue reading »
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Restoring integrity to Commonwealth infrastructure spending
The new Parliament should take responsibility for dealing with pork barrelling – not pass the buck to an integrity commission. Continue reading »
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Don’t believe what you hear about fuel excise and road funding in the forthcoming election campaign
It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that road spending is way too high, priorities are wrong, and there is a roads empire which is out of control. Continue reading »
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Eraring’s 2025 exit and Mike Cannon-Brookes/Brookfield AGL takeover could reduce power bills
The closure of Eraring power station and AGL’s takeover bid are likely to reduce electricity prices for consumers as low-cost renewable energy and additional storage replace the retiring coal generators. Continue reading »
