Goldman Sachs JBWere predict a multi-year, three-phase, forecast “super-spike” band from $US 105 a barrel to $US 135 a barrel

Goldman Sachs JBWere said that recent rises in the oil price were the second phase of a multi-year, three-phase “super-spike” era, underpinned by the struggle of oil suppliers to catch up with growth in demand, reported The Australian Financial Review, (24/9/2007, p. 25).

Natural gas and renewable generation options, combined with demand side measures, to meet demand for electrical energy services at tenth to half greenhouse-intensity of a coal-fired power station using super-critical technology

In a submission to the Owen Inquiry into Electricity Supply in NSW, energy and environment consultant George Wilkenfeld said the rapid enhancement of demand side programs, the introduction of carbon pricing and strengthening the support for renewables and small-scale generation, along with increasing net imports from Victorian and Queensland, should delay the need for new baseload generation.

Market report for week to Saturday, 29 September: Spikes push Qld average price up 9pc, with NSW, Vic SA and Qld down 5-9pc to $40.61-$54.90/MWh range on weaker demand

Spikes on three days with top prices between $153.12/MWh and $1710.58/MWh pushed up Queensland’s average price by 9 per cent while the spike-free regions of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania fell 5-9 per cent to an overall range of $40.61-$54.90/MWh.

Market report for Friday, 28 September: Spikes push Qld average price up 4pc with Vic and SA rising 4-7pc, Tas steady and NSW down 1pc to $43.83-$59.72/MWh range on firmer demand

Spikes in Queensland pushed its average price up 4 per cent while Victoria and South Australia rose 4-7 per cent, Tasmania remained steady and NSW fell nearly 1 per cent to an overall range of $43.83-$59.72/MWh. System-wide maximum demand was up 186MW (0.7 per cent) to 26,156MW, with rises in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

Model planes go mainstream: add a video camera and find powerline breaks, survey wildlife, manage crops

Unmanned aircraft developed for military uses were being considered for civilian government applications, including pinpointing remote area powerline breaks, surveying fish and wildlife, monitoring stock movements, managing crops and fighting bushfires, wrote Christopher Jay in The Australian Financial Review (28/9/2007, p.71).

Former Energex chair Ross Dunning cleared of sex charges; new role as chair of Townsville Port Authority

Former Energex chair Ross Dunning has won a boardroom reprieve after being cleared of child sex charges, wrote Steven Wardill in The Courier Mail (28/9/2007, p.10).

ActewAGL, TransACT consider compo for small businesses among 20,000 users of failed Grapevine ISP

ActewAGL and TransACT would consider compensating small businesses among the 20,000 users of its Internet service provider Grapevine which has been out of action since Sunday morning, wrote John Thistleton, business editor, in The Canberra Times (26/9/2007, p.5).

Canberra may be hit by bushfires, on same scale as 2003 inferno, every eight years by 2050, says CSIRO climate-change study

Canberra could be hit by catastrophic bushfires on the same scale as the 2003 inferno every eight years by 2050, according to a new study on the impacts of climate change, reported The Canberra Times (27/9/2007, p.3). Dramatic predictions: The number of days of extreme fire danger each year could increase by 65 per cent by 2020 and up to 300 per cent by 2050. The dramatic predictions were made in a report prepared for the Climate Institute by the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. The Australian Conservation Foundation described the report as a wake-up call on global warming. A new bushfire strategic management plan was being developed and updated with information about the increased risks. “Climate projections indicate very extreme and catastrophic fire danger levels may become much more common,” the report said. “In Canberra, if the rate of global warming is low, the number of extreme days increases around 8-10 per cent by 2020, and 17-25 per cent by 2050. If the rate of global warming is high, the number of extreme days rises 25-42 per cent by 2020 and 137-221 per cent, around double to triple.”

Destruction in 2003: The report said a catastrophic rating was comparable to the weather when the firestorm engulfed parts of Canberra on January 18, 2003, killing four people and destroying almost 500 homes. For example, the recent increase at Amberley in Queensland was eight times that projected by the most severe warming scenarios by 2020 while in Canberra and Melbourne it has been twice as large. The report considered the scenario of low global warming, with a temperature rise of 0.7 degrees, and high global warming producing a 2.9 degree rise.

Bad news for Canberra: “Climate projections indicate very extreme and catastrophic fire danger levels may become much more common,” it said. Very extreme days occur now every two to 11 years but would occur twice as often by 2020. “By 2050, high global warming scenarios indicated a four to five fold increase in frequency of very extreme fire weather across much of southern and eastern Australia,” it said. “By 2050, Canberra may experience catastrophic fire weather every eight to 17 years.”

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.

Western Power received 721 written queries, concerns or complaints from customers in the metropolitan area in the 12 months to 30 May 2007

Western Power received 721 written queries, concerns or complaints from customers in the metropolitan area in the 12 months to 30 May 2007, said Western Australian Energy Minister Fran logan on 14 August 2007.

Private ownership of coal ports – owner wants to spend up, to boost shareholder returns, while the user wants to restrict spending to get the cheapest port charges

Leo Zussino, who ran the Port of Gladstone, and Peter Coates of Xstrata Coal would be working closely together in the next few years if Queensland’s Surat Basin coal province was opened up as a major source of exports – but they would have to agree to disagree on one thing, according to The Courier Mail (7/8/2007), p. 61).

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.

Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources seeks suggestions for fair feed in tariff for small green generation P

eter Batchelor Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources said In Victoria’s Legislative Assembly on 19 July 2007 that small-scale generators of electricity should get a fair and reasonable price for any excess electricity they generate beyond their own needs and feed back into the grid. Initiative for small players: His Bill applied in particular to those generating less than 100 kilowatts, such as small businesses, schools, or other small-scale establishments, and that had been dealt with in this initiative.

Reference: Peter Batchelor, Minister for Energy and Resources, Legislative Assembly, Victoria, 19 July 2007.

Fed Govt calls for Aus ports to be managed by single body controlled by Commonwealth, as Qld miners lose jobs because of bottlenecks

More than 150 workers at a Queensland mine were handed redundancy notices in August, with half the job losses being blamed on an inability to ship coal because of infrastructure bottlenecks, wrote Tony Koch in The Australian (20/8/2007, p.1).

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.

LNG plans may raises SE grid gas-price: Santos requires 4,000-5,500PJ; Arrow at least 1,000PJ, three times current level of CSG production

Santos and Arrow Energy had recently announced proposals for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects in Gladstone, noted the Owen Inquiry into Electricity Supply in NSW, Availabiltiy and Cost of Gas for NSW Baseload Generation (31/7/2007).

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).

Adelaide Airport solar energy system scrapped; working group seeks new concept for $837,000 project

An eight-month process launched by Adelaide Airport Limited in April to “enter into an arrangement” with an or ganisation or consortium “for the design, supply and install­ation” of the solar energy sys tem has been scrapped weeks from a planned media launch, according to Michael Owen, political reporter, in The Advertiser (17/9/2007, p. 23).

Limping project killed off: Adelaide Airport spokesman John McArdle said the consor tiums were told last month the initial concept “was dead”. An AAL-State Government working group had decided to “go for a completely new con cept”. “We went back to the draw ing board,” he said. Details of the new plan are still being developed. After inquiries by The Adver tiser, however, AAL admitted the project brief for shortlisted consortiums to “quote for the construction and commission ing of the system” had been abandoned last month.

Proposal details: AAL documents obtained by The Advertiser show after receiving 11 submissions, AAL in May shortlisted three consortiums. They were BP Solar/ Grieve Gillet/Martins Integrated/Wallbridge & Gilbert; Origin/Hassell/Wallbridge and Gilbert and GHD/TEQMan. The documents state AAL and the Government had agreed on solar systems for the Terminal 1 veranda on the Level 2 drop-off, Vickers Vimy Memorial Building and adjac ent walkway and the Cowandilla-Mile End linear park. AAL was to oversee the co struction phase, with consult ant Sustainable Focus to work with the successful party, AAL and ETSA to “ensure satisfac tory grid connection of the installed system”.

New concept with different company? The total budget allocated for the project was $837,000, including any connection costs charged by ETSA. The working group was negotiating the feasibility of the new “concept” with a private organisation, McArdle said. “Another idea, used within the city of Adelaide, has been identified,” he said.

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.

Bushfire sizzler season: Queensland heat-spike blackout on Monday 24 September: $10,000 price

For the NEM week to 29 September 2007, the top price of the week was the $1710.58/MWh spike in Queensland for the 30-minute trading interval ended 1000EST Monday. Queensland had the highest average price for the week and South Australia the lowest.

Market report for week to Saturday, 29 September: Spikes push Qld average price up 9pc, with NSW, Vic SA and Qld down 5-9pc to $40.61-$54.90/MWh range on weaker demand

Spikes on three days with top prices between $153.12/MWh and $1710.58/MWh pushed up Queensland’s average price by 9 per cent while the spike-free regions of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania fell 5-9 per cent to an overall range of $40.61-$54.90/MWh.

Sunday, 30 September: Tas ends month with negative price of minus $154.69/MWh in early morning trading interval

Tasmania recorded a negative price of minus $154.69/MWh in the 30-minute trading interval ended 0500EST on Sunday, 30 September.

NEM Market forecast for Tuesday, 2 October:Average prices continue converging as they rise 6pc in SA, steady in NSW, fall 2-7pc in Vic, Qld and Tas to $33.02-$36.18/MWh range on demand surge

Market forecast for Tuesday, 2 October: Average prices are expected to continue converging to within $3.16 of each other ($4.20 on Monday) with rises of 6 per cent in South Australia, steady in NSW and falls of 2-7 per cent in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania to an overall range of $33.02-$36.18/MWh.

2007 NEM September quarter av pool down $9.86-$68.04/MWh (14-55pc) on inflated June quarter results

Average prices fell between $9.86-$68.04 (14 to 55 per cent) in the September quarter on the June quarter to a range of $53.35-$62.53/MWh, an analysis of price and demand statistics shows.

NEM September pool price up 4-35pc on August to $43.02-$51.10/MWh, analysis shows

Average prices rose 4-35 per cent in the first month of Spring compared to the last month of winter, an analysis of price and demand statistics shows.