Big energy savings waiting to be made from rethinking cultural values of housing; orientation and materials both potential contributors to savings, says WA Libera

Speaking on the National Environment Protection Council (Western Australia) Amendment Bill 2007 in the Western Australia Legislative Assembly on 9 September 2007, Liberals’ A.J. Simpson said that issues surrounding the environment must be looked at very hard.

Fed Senate Committee to report on Energy Efficiency Trading Scheme

The Senate Standing Committee on Economics was inquiring into the National Market Driven Energy Efficiency Target Bill 2007, reported The Australian (19/9/2007, p.2).

Western Australia 5 Star Plus scheme motion demands government provides audited cost benefit analysis, identifies costs to taxpayers and other regimes examined

An amendment to delete part of a motion moved by Ray Halligan critical of Western Australia’s 5 Star Plus scheme was passed in the Legislative Council on 19 September 2007.

Victoria Bill to amend the Electricity Industry Act 2000, the Gas Industry Act 2001, the Gas Pipelines Access (Victoria) Act 1998, the Gas and Fuel Corporation (Heatane Gas) Act 1993

The Bill would amend the Electricity Industry Act 2000, the Gas Industry Act 2001, the Gas Pipelines Access (Victoria) Act 1998, the Gas and Fuel Corporation (Heatane Gas) Act 1993 and would meet some other purposes. “The main thrust of it, however, is to make amendments as a consequence of the review of the Victorian Energy Networks Corporation, more commonly known as VENCorp,” Batchelor said. “A review was undertaken of that and this is implementing some of the responses. Secondly, the bill will extend the sunset of the energy customer safety net provisions by another 12 months, and a number of other matters.” Reference: Parliament of Victoria, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Legislative Assembly, Fifty-Sixth parliament, First session, Tuesday, 18 September 2007 – Energy Legislation Further Amendment Bill Introduction and first reading

Erisk Net, 15/10/2007

Burma military energy economics: bought fuel in US dollars; sold in the local currency, the kyat.

While the military reaped rich profits from selling quotas on the black market, the Ministry of Energy subsidised the price of petrol. It lost money on each transaction because the ministry bought fuel internationally in US dollars but sold in the local currency, the kyat.

Energy price riot backlash: Military rent-a-crowd pays 90c per rioter; 1000 people remain in custody at unknown locations in Burma

About 1000 people remained in custody at unknown locations in Burma since last month’s rallies, and concern for their safety had grown, reported The Australian (15/10/2007, p. 10).

Market report for Thursday, 11 October: Lightning in SE Qld corridor, $10,000 energy prices, negative QNI settlement residues cause $3000-plus spikes: negative QNI settlement residues cause $3000-plus spikes: Average prices up 2-20pc to $36.42-$131.84/MWh range on rising demand

With lightning activity continuing in a south-eastern Queensland corridor from Bulli Creek to Calvale, $10,000 overconstrained energy prices and negative settlement residues exceeding the QNI interconnector threshold, Queensland had spikes for the eighth day in a row with a top price exceeding $3000/MWh for the second successive day. Average prices rose 2-20 per cent to a range of $36.42-$131.84/MWh. System-wide maximum demand was up 805MW (3.1 per cent) with rises in all regions except Tasmania.

Quite possible for an Australian prime minister to refuse to call an election, warns former federal attorney-general

According to Michael Lavarch, executive dean of the QUT Law Faculty and a former federal attorney-general, writing in The Australian Financial Review, (5/10/2007), p. 56, the prime minister only needs to go to the governor-general to get the house dissolved if he wants an election called before 15 November 2007.

Babcock & Brown AlintaAGL stake exercise price of the option at $1.06 billion

AGL Energy said it would be interested in some or all of Queensland-based Enertrade’s business, as well as energy assets in NSW, should they be priva­tised by the NSW Government. But first it had to decide on its option over AlintaAGL. According to Nigel Wilson, in The Australian, (25/9/2007), p. 22, Babcock & Brown Power, which had acquired the majority AlintaAGL stake as a result of the B&B/Singapore Power Inter­national takeover of Alinta, said it had set the exercise price of the option at $1.06 billion. This provides a total enterprise including $506 million in debt) value of $2.09 billion, valuing AGL Energy’s AlintaAGL stake at $522 million (plus $167 mil­lion) in debt.

Qld’s rebel time zone: Gold Coast considers defying State Government and going it alone on daylight saving

According to Greg Stolz, the Gold Coast was considering defying the State Government and going it alone on daylight saving, reported The Courier Mail (3/10/2007, p.3).

Reports that say nothing, in mire of red tape: what happens when govts protect powerful interests and offend no one, says business academic

The Nationals have long employed sham committees to protect sacred cows – the classic was Warren Truss’s Mickey Mouse 2004 Wheat Marketing Review committee, established with terms of reference that specifically excluded consideration of the single desk’s future, which delivered an eight-page report saying nothing, wrote Professor Paul Kerin, teacher of strategy at Melbourne Business School, in The Australian (25/9/2007, p.30).

Three back up generators deployed to Denmark and Walpole to cope with new load from Western Australia nickel plant at Ravensthorpe, from June 2007: $14 million spent over 5 years

Fran Logan, Western Australia Minister for Energy, and ALP Member for Cockburn told Parliament on 14 August 2007 that three generators were deployed to Ravensthorpe to provide support to the local electricity network from June 2007.

TRUenergy lists four policy ideas for NSW: access to retail load, its number-one policy-wish

Sam Bristow, Director, Business Development, TRUenergy said as a current investor in NSW generation through the TRUenergy 400MW low emissions Tallawarra project, TRUenergy was acutely aware of the difficulties and risks associated with private sector generation investments.

Stocktake tender with February 2008 deadline suggests NSW Treasury plans sale of Macquarie Generation Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations

It appeared Macquarie Generation was preparing for a sale, in a Request for proposals 85/2007 for a fixed asset and inventory stocktake. Macquarie Generation, the state owned corporation, is New South Wales’ largest electricity generator and the owner of Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations, located in the Hunter Valley.

Leading bankers warning of the worst crisis in the money markets for 20 years

Leading bankers are warning of the worst crisis in the money markets for 20 years, which would come to a head when $US113 billion ($137 billion) of commercial paper — market IOUs — came up for refinancing, mainly through London, reported The Australian (10/9/2007, p.29).

Stocktake tender with February 2008 deadline suggests NSW Treasury plans sale of Macquarie Generation Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations

It appeared Macquarie Generation was preparing for a sale, in a Request for proposals 85/2007 for a fixed asset and inventory stocktake. Macquarie Generation, the state owned corporation, is New South Wales’ largest electricity generator and the owner of Bayswater and Liddell Power Stations, located in the Hunter Valley.

Morgan Stanley list of parties consulted for Owen Review

CLICK TABLE TO VIEW FULL SIZE:
Morgan Stanley, Report to the Owen Inquiry: Securing Private Investment in New Generation in New South Wales, 31 August 2007

Greens leader wants plebiscites to allow local input on all major infrastructure decisions: pulp mills, desal, nuclear power plants and Queensland council mergers

Amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Democratic Plebiscites) Bill 2007 deserved support, said Greens leader Senator Bob Brown in the Federal Senate on 17 September 2007.

Vict Govt opts for PPP model to design, build and operate new desal plant by 2011

The Victorian Government opted for a public private partnership (PPP) model to design, build and operate the new desalination plant by 2011, reported The Australian (22/9/2007, p.41).

Greens support Federal plebiscite bill says Greens leader: Positive for democracy

The Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Democratic Plebiscites) Bill 2007 could be the greatest contribution to democracy the government has made in its time in office, Greens leader Senator Bob Brown said in the Federal Senate on 17 September 2007.

Adelaide’s Mt Lofty dam storage-capacity for only a year’s worth of water; SA Govt should stop dragging its heels on desal, says Turnbull

The Federal Government had set the example on water provision for the future, and the South Australian Government should get on with it, said Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, in Federal Parliament (12/9/2007).

ActewAGL – now buys renewables at 7c a kilowatt hour – to fight a plan to make it under the proposed ACT law, to pay homes, 52c a kilowatt hour

ActewAGL’s general manager of retail, Ivan Slavich, said the 52c a kilowatt hour tariff was not a wise use of money.

Beginning of the ‘museum’ scenario for Snowy Scheme if privitisation avoided; internal note on the impact on Snowy Hydro of privatisation plan

According to Matthew Stevens, if Snowy Hydro was forced to sit out the retail resolution, it will lose key customers for its power, reported The Australian (19/9/2007, p.34).

Seawater desalination costs over three Australian cities could vary from AUD $1.15 to $3.00 a cubic metre of product water (USD $0.95- 2.50)

Consultants to the Australian Prime Minister on water supply options for Australian cities noted that low cost water supply options depended on “favourable locations and situations” for the options, wrote the WWF’s Phil Dickie.

All I want for Xmas: TRUenergy wants NSW market access retail load

Sam Bristow, Director, Business Development, TRUenergy Australia argued that the single biggest policy change required (in NSW) was to allow private investors to mass market access retail load. “Merchant and PPA options (leave) Government (with) market risk, with consequent pressure on its credit rating”.

Proposed Vic enviro protection regs: large commercial and industrial energy, water users to develop Environment and Resource Efficiency Plan (EREP)

Notice was given in accordance with section ii of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 of the proposed making of the Environment Protection (Environment, and Resource Efficiency Plans) Regulations 2007, in The Age (21/9/2007, p.17).

US suspends all land travel by diplomats and civilian officials in Iraq after law-immune US-paid mercenaries kill 20 Iraqis: Iraq’s Ministry of Defence confirms deaths

The US has suspended all land travel by diplomats and civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, amid mounting outrage over the alleged killing of civilians by the US Embassy’s security provider, Blackwater USA, reported The Mercury (20/9/2007, p. 20).

“The Iraq war is largely about oil”, says ex-US Fed Reserve chair, Alan Greenspan

Former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan created another Iraq-related crisis for the Bush Administration, alleging in his new memoir that “the Iraq war is largely about oil”, reported The Canberra Times (18/9/2007, p.7).

Iran unveils new home-grown fighter jet: “Our forces like a thunderbolt will blind the eyes of the enemies of our land”

Iran has unveiled a new home-grown fighter jet amid growing tensions with the United States, and said the plane could “blind the eyes” of its enemies, reported The Canberra Times (22/9/2007, p.15).

Israel declares Gaza an “enemy entity” and said it would cut off power and fuel supplies to the coastal strip of Gaza

In Jerusalem, Israel’s Security Cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an “enemy entity” last night and said it would cut off power and fuel supplies to the coastal strip. The move threatens to cloud U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the region on a peacemaking mission. The group of top Israeli political and defence ministers did not set a date for a cut-off. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office said Israel did not intend to provoke a humanitarian crisis.The Advertiser, 20/9/2007, p. 31