Two million households and businesses in New South Wales and Victoria will now be able to upgrade to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) internet from slower, less reliable copper connections. The Federal Government said FTTP is capable of delivering speeds 18 times faster than the average broadband connection over copper, and is less likely to drop out or degrade. The milestone means more […]
News
Project developments, news, announcements and personnel movements from the Australian utility industry, updated daily.
The Queensland Government has released its Renewable Energy Zone Roadmap (REZ Roadmap), proposing 12 renewable energy zones (REZs) to be established in regional areas throughout the state. The REZ Roadmap is designed to ensure local communities reap their fair share of the rewards on offer through the state’s clean energy transition, and will coordinate and smooth the rollout of renewables […]
SA Water begins major $3.7M dam upgrade
Steph Barker Asset management, Dams, News, Spotlight, Water 0SA Water has commenced work at Myponga Reservoir as part of a $3.7 million upgrade of the dam spillway gates. The works are designed to secure the Fleurieu Peninsula’s water supply as well as the long-term safety of the structure. Myponga Reservoir’s three spillway gates sit atop the dam wall and facilitate controlled releases of water from the reservoir based […]
Marinus Link project transitions to tri-government ownership
Steph Barker Embedded networks, News, Projects, Spotlight 0The Marinus Link project has officially transitioned to joint ownership between the Victorian and Tasmanian State Governments, and the Federal Government. The three-part equity ownership is divided as 49 per cent ownership by the Federal Government, 33.3 per cent by the Victorian State Government, and 17.7 per cent by Tasmanian State Government. Marinus Link Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Wykamp, said, […]
Jemena reverse supply plans to help VIC avoid gas shortfall
Steph Barker Gas, News, Pipelines, Spotlight 0Jemena has announced plans to enable reverse supply for its Eastern Gas Pipeline (EGP), which could enable up to 300TJ of gas per day to be sent from New South Wales to Victoria. Commissioned in the year 2000, the 797km EGP has traditionally brought gas from the Bass Strait into the New South Wales and Sydney market and has at […]
NSW Gov calls for feedback on proposed water law changes
Steph Barker Disaster Management, News, Policy, Spotlight, Water 0The New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has released proposed changes to water laws designed to give property owners and farmers improved access to water for firefighting, and is calling for feedback on the proposed changes. The Water for Bushfire Preparedness and Firefighting Proposed Approach Paper outlines changes that are designed to make it […]
Regulations to change following ACCC telecommunications inquiry
Steph Barker News, Policy, Spotlight, Telecommunications 0The ACCC has announced that there will be changes to the regulation of wholesale telecommunications following the release of its final inquiry report. The inquiry examined whether or not nine wholesale telecommunications services should continue to be regulated. Access to telecommunications services in Australia is usually unregulated, unless the services are declared. In deciding whether to declare a service, the […]
Sydney Zoo reaches milestone in renewable energy transition
Steph Barker News, Renewable Energy, Solar, Spotlight 0Sydney Zoo has reached a milestone in its partnership with EnergyAustralia, designed to help the zoo transition to renewable energy. Installation is complete on 602 solar panels across eight buildings at the 41 acre zoo, estimated to negate more than 200t of CO₂ associated with the zoo’s electricity consumption in the first year alone while meeting the complex energy needs […]
Yarra Valley Water signs $50M contract for treatment plant upgrades
Steph Barker Asset management, News, Projects, Spotlight, Water and Wastewater Treatment 0Yarra Valley Water has signed a five-year contract with Waternish Engineering and Service Stream to upgrade sewage and recycled water treatment plants across its network. The works program is designed to ensure extra capacity for the sewerage network, to meet the needs of Melbourne’s growing population. The initial term is for five years, with the possibility of extension for up […]
ARENA and WA Gov to fund $5.7M long duration energy storage trial
Steph Barker Batteries & Storage, Electricity, News, Projects, Spotlight 0The Western Australia Government and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) have announced they will each provide $2.85 million in funding to trial two long-duration energy storage (LDES) batteries run by Horizon Power. The LDES batteries will be located in remote communities powered by regional microgrids, and are designed to help Horizon Power diversify long-duration battery solutions for extreme climates. […]
$2M ARENA grant for hydrogen feasibility study
Steph Barker News, Projects, Renewable Energy, Spotlight 0Lochard Energy is set to receive $2 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) for an 18-month feasibility study into large-scale hydrogen production and storage at the Otway Basin, Victoria. The feasibility study, costing $6.3 million in total, is the second stage of Lochard Energy’s H2RESTORE project, which aims to help firm the National Electricity Market (NEM) […]
Post-Incident Review makes final report on nationwide Optus outage
Kody Cook Asset management, Digital Utilities, News, Spotlight, Telecommunications 0The Optus Post-Incident Review has made its final report to the Federal Government, which examined emergency call arrangements, customer communications and complaints handling during and after the nationwide Optus outage in 2023. The review was led by the former deputy chair for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Mr Richard Bean. The report makes recommendations aimed at ensuring that […]
AEMO releases 2024 Gas Statement of Opportunities report
Kody Cook Gas, News, Spotlight, Sustainability 0AEMO has released its 2024 Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO) report, which has warned of a significant gap in supply for the southern states in 2028 due to decreased production from the Bass Strait, and stated that new investment is needed to make up the shortfall. The 2024 Gas Statement of Opportunities (GSOO) report signals that new investment is urgently […]
APA opens Australia’s largest remote grid solar farm
Kody Cook Electricity, News, Projects, Renewable Energy, Solar, Spotlight 0The Dugald River Solar Farm (DRSF) is now open in the Mount Isa region, with APA Group’s 88MW project officially becoming the largest remote grid solar farm in Australia. The farm is supporting MMG, Mount Isa Mines and New Century with solar energy firmed by gas from APA’s nearby Diamantina Power Station. The solar farm also supports APA’s goal to […]
AER releases Default Market Offer, prices tipped to fall
Steph Barker Electricity, News, Retail, Spotlight 0The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has released its draft determination of the Default Market Offer (DMO) for electricity prices in 2024-25. Known as DMO 6, the draft determination sets out the approach the AER intends to take to determine the final DMO price which will be released in May. The draft determination is subject to public consultation and stakeholder feedback, […]
Powercor identifies potential microgrid sites
Steph Barker Disaster Management, Electricity, News, Spotlight, Stakeholder Engagement 0Powercor has identified three areas in Victoria’s central highlands region that could be home to several community-scale microgrids, as part of a package of new resilience measures being tested and explored by the electricity distributor. The towns of Ballan, Trentham and Lancefield have been identified as potential locations for a microgrid – a standalone power network backed by a large-scale […]
VIC Essential Services Commission releases draft Default Offer
Steph Barker Electricity, News, Retail, Spotlight 0The Victorian Government’s Essential Services Commission (ESC) has released its draft decision on the 2024–25 Victorian Default Offer and is seeking feedback from the public. The draft decision proposes to reduce the Victorian Default Offer by around $112 (or 6.4 per cent) for residential customers and around $266 (or seven per cent) for small business customers from 1 July 2024. […]
ARENA grants $1.6M to First Nations hydrogen feasibility
Steph Barker News, Projects, Renewable Energy, Spotlight 0The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $1.6 million grant to the Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership (ACEP) for the East Kimberley Clean Energy and Hydrogen Project’s phase one feasibility study. The $3.3 million feasibility study represents a key step in progressing the development, which plans to generate large scale renewable energy, renewable hydrogen and renewable ammonia for export […]
SA Water successfully trials trenchless pipeline repair
Steph Barker Asset management, Maintenance, News, Pipelines, Spotlight, Water 0SA Water has completed a pipeline repair at Rundle Mall, Adelaide, marking the first time the utility has used a trenchless fix in its metropolitan sewer network. The trenchless quick-lock system uses a stainless steel sleeve that’s transported within the sewer main to the repair point where it’s then expanded by a small compressor to line and seal the pipe. […]
Barwon Water installs irrigation pipeline at heritage site
Steph Barker Irrigation, News, Pipelines, Projects, Spotlight, Water 0Barwon Water and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) have completed the installation of recycled water infrastructure to irrigate farmland surrounding Barwon Park Mansion. Barwon Water General Manager Planning, Delivery and Environment, Seamus Butcher, said an underground recycled water pipeline had been installed to connect the Winchelsea Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) to Barwon Park. “The new 1.8km pipeline now supplies […]
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) is seeking public feedback on a rule change request to the National Electricity Rules (NER) from State and Federal Energy Ministers. The rule change request was submitted by Federal Minister for Climate Change, Chris Bowen, Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, and Tasmanian Minister for Energy and Renewables, Nick Duigan. The AEMC […]
SE Water smart meter rollout reaches 100,000
Steph Barker Digital Utilities, News, Smart meters, Spotlight, Water 0South East Water has rolled out almost 100,000 smart meters across Victoria, which the utility said has saved customers more than $5.2 million. Victorian Minister for Water, Harriet Shing, visited Cranbourne to see one of the digital meters South East Water has installed that allows customers to detect costly leaks and track their water use in real-time. Since the rollout […]
50MW Bouldercombe big battery completed
Kody Cook Batteries & Storage, Electricity, News, Projects, Renewable Energy, Spotlight 0Genex Power has announced that its 50MW/100MWh Bouldercombe Battery Project has been completed, with the final two mega battery packs installed on the site in late 2023. Genex Power has also announced that the two replacement megapacks were transported and installed at the project site during the week commencing 27 November 2023, and that a small outage was required to […]
NT to receive $53.1M of water supply projects
Kody Cook News, Pipelines, Projects, Spotlight, Water 0In an effort to shore up water security for remote communities in the Northern Territory, the Federal and Territory Governments are investing $53.1 million in the development of a number of water supply projects. In Maningrida, the two governments are investing $21 million for three infrastructure upgrades to increase the reliability of the local water supply network. This work will […]
$4M sewer odour control unit for Whyalla
Kody Cook News, Projects, Spotlight, Water and Wastewater Treatment 0In an effort to reduce sewer odour issues in certain parts of Whyalla, SA Water has begun works for a $4 million odour control unit. The unit – which is an intricate system of filters, pipes and valves – will connect to the sewer network through an existing pipe on Billing Street, where it can extract and treat odorous gases […]
Ausgrid reports increase in copper theft putting lives at risk
Kody Cook Electricity, News, Powerlines, Safety and Training, Spotlight 0Ausgrid has revealed that 74 incidents of copper theft have been recorded across its network since August 2023, resulting in almost half a million dollars in damage, disruptions to thousands of customers, and severe safety risks. The latest analysis by Ausgrid has shown criminals are increasingly moving away from breaking into depots, to now cutting down power poles with chainsaws […]
Origin has entered into an agreement with Superloop to provide broadband wholesale services, as part of Origin’s drive to expand its customer base. The new service agreement comes as Origin targets the next phase of growth for its broadband business, which has seen customer numbers increase five-fold since 2021 New broadband customers contributed to Origin reporting customer growth at the […]
Powerline resilience package planned for south-east Melbourne
Kody Cook Disaster Management, Electricity, News, Powerlines, Projects, Spotlight 0United Energy is planning and testing a new package of resilience works that will see powerlines in areas of south-east Melbourne that are prone to high fire risk be moved underground. The activities being considered by United Energy for Melbourne’s south-east and the Mornington Peninsula are aimed at making its network stronger and more resilient in the face of more […]
RMIT develops early fault detection system for energy networks
Steph Barker Asset management, Electricity, Instrumentation, Control & Monitoring, News, Spotlight 0Researchers at RMIT University have designed an early fault detection (EFD) system for energy networks that is being used to help prevent bushfires and blackouts in North America, Europe and Australia. IND Technology, the company that commercialised the innovation, is seeking funding from the Federal Government to assist with rolling out the EFD system across all single-wire earth return (SWER) […]
VIC Gov announces first round of community battery grants
Steph Barker Batteries & Storage, Electricity, News, Projects, Renewable Energy, Spotlight 0The Victorian Government has announced the first round of grants awarded as part of its 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program. Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, announced six projects that will share in more than $6 million in funding to deliver 25 neighbourhood batteries across 20 towns, totaling more than 4.2MWh hours of new storage capacity. Ms D’Ambrosio said […]
Balancing act: future-proofing Australia’s electricity network
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