Energy Secretary Rick Perry says the US needs to subsidize nuclear and coal power plants to keep the grid stable. But this policy would raise energy costs and could drive consumers off-grid instead.
With a hot summer forecast, keeping cool will put a strain on financially vulnerable households.
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Cooling off this summer will be more expensive than ever, putting at risk the very young, the elderly and people with health conditions.
Minister for Energy Josh Frydenberg, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a press conference.
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The new policy will put the onus on electricity retailers to cut emissions while guaranteeing reliability. And while the scheme isn’t perfect, it offers a rare opportunity for bipartisanship.
By signing an agreement with the big three producers, the government has effectively made the east coast gas shortage evaporate. But there’s no guarantee the price pain will go away too.
Climate policy has become bogged down in the debate over a clean energy target.
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The energy market operator has released a report on the state of Australia’s electricity system. It couldn’t be blunter if it tried: the market has failed.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg speak with the media during a press conference following a meeting with energy company bosses at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney.
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Energy certainty is unattainable, because of disruptive change and multiple agendas. But we can deliver affordable, reliable, clean energy services. Governments will have to adapt.
Solar panels are still a rarity in WA’s lower-income areas.
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Western Australia has huge amounts of sunshine and wind, yet only 7% of its energy comes from renewables. What’s more, most households in the poorest suburbs are still locked out of the solar panel boom.
The idea that Australia’s national electricity market is either useful or feasible has simply passed.
The controversial Narrabri coal seam gas project. Australia has plenty of gas reserves that are cheaper to develop and a safer bet.
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Australia has enough gas reserves to supply the next 25 years’ demand. Federal pressure to lift state bans on onshore gas development is pointless, risky – and won’t bring prices down.
Turnbull takes heart from the widespread acceptance that things can’t stay as they are.
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To implement an alternative that still effectively puts a price on emissions might – apart from its policy advantages – be seen by Malcolm Turnbull as righting the old wrong done to him by his party.
Australia’s energy policy has lost its way over the past couple of decades, which is unfortunate because the challenges – to move to a low-carbon economy without high prices – have never been tougher.
OPEC has been declared dead in recent months as the group of oil-exporters has been unable to agree on a plan to stabilize the market. But was it really ever alive in the first place?