Archived News for Energy Sector Professionals - February, 2014
An economists’ report has said privatisation in the electricity sector is expensive and achieves little more than customer annoyance with none of the alleged benefits.
Lack of evidence prompts deeper look for wind farm effects
The National Health and Medical Research Council says there is no evidence that wind farms cause adverse health effects in humans, re-iterating the findings of virtually all credible studies on the matter.
Leaks and spills in the past, Japan plans tomorrow
Japan is beginning to turn a corner after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, releasing its first energy policy since the event and allowing some residents to return to their homes in evacuated areas.
Narrabri CSG finds itself in fast-lane
The New South Wales Government has fast-tracked approvals for a proposed coal seam gas project at Narrabri.
Toll looks up with renewed agreements
The Toll Group has managed to keep a lucrative set of contracts, which will see it remain the prime mover for oil and gas producer Santos.
Action over mine jobs prompts industrial court case
The Fair Work Building Commission (FWBC) has called dozens of Western Australian workers into court to face charges from protests over jobs in local mines.
Big figures push oil explorers to new fields and agreements
Oil exploration and production firm Senex Energy Ltd has posted its profits and announced a new partnership with Origin Energy in South Australia.
Coal fires coat town in haze of health concerns
Fires in Victorian open-cut coal mines have created a major health risk, with hazardous smoke destroying air quality.
Industry fears massive cost if RET is reached
Reports this week claim the Australian electricity market is at “breaking point”, and that half of all generators are losing money.
Shell sells to get into gas, Vitol buys for same reason
Shell will sell an Australian refinery and 870 domestic service stations to Vitol in a deal worth around $2.9 billion.
Carbon tax scenario shows cost of delay
The seemingly imminent repeal of the carbon tax is being prevented while Labor and the Greens hold the balance of power in the federal Senate, and new research has investigated how the efforts to end the carbon price may be hurting energy investments.
Forest of protestors take toll from Santos, costs consumers
One major gas supplier says ongoing protests mean they will charge more when the gas is flowing.
Google's big green spend to save later
Google has dropped over a billion dollars into a range of renewable energy projects, possibly so that it can trim the power bills from its other big buys.
Target review could find opposite result to last time
The Federal Government is moving its review of the Renewable Energy Target into full-swing, releasing the terms of reference and announcing who will lead the inquiry.
Big money won't sway territory bent on power/water split
The Northern Territory Government says it will move ahead with a split of Power and Water, the corporation in charge of both utilities in the territory.
Funds splashed upstairs at Forge leave nothing to trickle down
More than a thousand workers have been sacked after the collapse of engineering company Forge Group, some small towns are worried for their workforce, but reports say the company has been spending-up on executive perks.
Pole fires leave large city sections in the dark
Tens of thousands of residents have spent two days in darkness after dozens of power pole fires in Melbourne.
Claims of fund skimming to skipper mysterious boat
Clive Palmer’s company has been accused of dipping into a joint fund for about $4.5 million without the permission of his partnering Chinese firm Citic Pacific.
Rio sees results from cuts, will continue while write downs still hurt
Rio Tinto’s cost-cutting measures will continue, but a surge in earnings has been proof they are effective.
Elements come together for fusion forward step
Scientists are drawing closer to a goal they have sought for decades, which will provide the world with nearly limitless power supplies.
Hockey shows off size of his cuts to inspire smaller nations
Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has let a Wall Street Journal reporter in on the scale of cuts, sales and savings the Government intends to make, which may soon see the nation's power poles in foreign hands.