Archived News for Energy Sector Professionals - July, 2012
Downer EDI Limited has been awarded a contract valued at more than $175 million by Western Power to construct a new transmission line in Western Australia.
The new 190 kilometre, 330 KV transmission line is located between Pinjar, in Perth’s northern suburbs, and Eneabba and will form a critical part of Western Power’s $443 million Mid West Energy Project Stage 1, delivering power to parts of the Mid West.
The Chief Executive Officer of Downer, Grant Fenn, said Downer was pleased to be supporting Western Power’s network expansion.
Energy Procurement Information Resource launched
The Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (DRET) together with the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA) has developed an energy procurement and demand management resource for large Australian energy users.
Future of Solar Dawn Project in doubt
The Queensland Government has terminated its $75 million funding deed to the 250 megawatt Solar Dawn project in Chinchilla and the future of the project is now uncertain.
Government extends Contract for Closure
The Federal Government has announced the extension of its Contract for Closure Program, citing ongoing complex negotiations.
Queensland freezes energy tariff, pledges reform
The Queensland Government has frozen the cost of the standard residential tariff (Tariff 11) at 2011-12 rates from the start of this month in a bid to offset Origin Energy’s price changes.
Transition structure for briquette manufacturer
The Australian Government has announced a two-year restructuring package to allow the Latrobe Valley’s Energy Brix Australia Corporation to maintain briquette production while regional businesses that rely on briquettes transition to a cleaner fuel source.
Briquettes produced by Energy Brix are used by around 50 businesses nationwide as part of their operations. Currently, there is no alternative supplier of cost effective briquettes and making the transition to other cleaner forms of fuel or feedstock will take time and investment.
As a result, the Government will provide $50 million through a restructuring package to help the Latrobe Valley-based company maintain its production of briquettes for a limited period of time so that downstream users have the required time and certainty to switch to cleaner fuels, such as gas.
This restructuring package is in addition to payments of Energy Brix’s entitlements to transitional assistance under the Energy Security Fund.
The businesses that rely on briquettes range from abattoirs, horticultural and char producers, food processors, dairy processing plants and generators and together employ more than 2500 people throughout regional communities.
The restructuring package will help ensure Energy Brix is better equipped to meet its obligations with respect to site rehabilitation and employee entitlements.
Energy Brix customers that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be able to apply for grants from these Clean Technology Programs for projects that for example switch their in-house energy production to clean energy sources.
The Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education will manage the transition arrangements.