Via the US Studies Centre: Australia and the United States have much in common: liberal, democratic institutions; technologically advanced, largely open economies; growing populations; demanding infrastructure; and above all, abundant energy resources. But with respect to energy, Australia and the United States are on radically different paths. Australia faces an energy crisis, stressing households and

Via the AFR comes Australia’s BCA head and chief energy wrecker, Grant King: “In the last four terms of parliament, two under Labor and two under Coalition governments, we have lurched from one extreme to the other in terms of policy outcomes,” Mr King said on Monday night. “The most recent idea from government has been

Via the AFR: Energy producers and investors are regarding a possible Labor government after next year’s general election as offering the prospect of a defined energy policy that, while potentially tougher for the industry in some areas, will at least bring an end to what some have described as “almost uninvestable” situation under the Morrison

How? How did they do it? From the EIA: EIA expects total U.S. coal consumption in 2018 to fall to 691 million short tons (MMst), a 4% decline from 2017 and the lowest level since 1979. U.S. coal consumption has been falling since its peak in 2007, and EIA forecasts that 2018 coal consumption will

From Oxford Economics: In 2017, a gas crisis emerged in Australia’s East Coast gas market. Gas prices had increased rapidly from mid-2016 as the full effect of the three LNG projects starting operations on Curtis Island worked through the gas market, putting domestic energy users under pressure. In March 2017, the Australian Energy Market Operator

Can Australia’s gas catastrophe get any more stupid? Yes, it can: Australia’s fifth LNG import terminal has been proposed by a South Korean developer, striking a preliminary deal with the Port of Newcastle to boost gas supplies to the nation’s east coast as part of a $US430 million ($586m) facility. EPIK, described as a Seoul-based LNG

And surely it will do so. Two stories today show the lunacy, via AFR: The Morrison government has responded to backbench and industry anger by softening its proposed “big stick” laws to forcibly divest energy companies, but business remains hostile and there is no guarantee the laws will pass Parliament. In another day of energy

So says the ABC: Renewable generation installation has accelerated to such an extent it is on track to provide almost 80 per cent of the electricity market by 2030, according to research from consultancy Green Energy Markets. GEM director Tristan Edis said the renewable energy industry has built itself up to such a significant scale

Via the AFR: East coast manufacturers are voicing frustration as domestic gas prices fail to follow international LNG prices lower, leaving them paying up to 25 per cent more for spot gas than equivalent export “netbacks” despite the dive in crude oil prices. A combination of cool spring weather in Victoria and an apparent reduction

Via the AFR: Labor says the certainty created by having an energy policy and the falling cost of renewable energy means emissions can be cut and prices lowered at the same time. Speaking ahead of the launch of Labor’s energy policy on Thursday, shadow climate change and energy minster Mark Butler said asking people to

Yay! Love it. MB argued that when Shell bought QCLNG two years ago, the ACCC should have forced it to divest Arrow. It is the last big, undeveloped gas field on the east coast without community restrictions: Instead, the ACCC let the consolidation complete the export cartel. Now all of the Arrow gas is going to

A moderate victory over the gas cartel at Domainfax: Oil and gas giants will be hit with a $6 billion tax hike over the next decade following years of concern that Australia has been hemorrhaging lucrative revenue to multinationals. The decision was made after an 18-month wait for the Coalition’s response to a landmark review into

Exciting news via Platts: On October 22, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry unveiled a model clause that can be used by LNG buyers to remove destination restrictions from long-term contracts. Such restrictions have become more relaxed in renegotiations of LNG contracts or in new contracts among market players, Hiroshige Seko, minister of economy,

Via AFR: Mike Cannon-Brookes’ campaign to reclaim the phrase “fair dinkum power” from Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been swamped with offers of support, and the Atlassian billionaire is in the process of registering a trademark for a logo to promote renewable energy. Mr Cannon-Brookes said he had had hundreds of tweets and emails expressing

I know this bloke means well but having $6bn does not make you expert on everything, via Twitter: ⚡ Argh! Bullshit mate 😡 @ScottMorrisonMP you’ve made me mad & inspired me. We need a movement. We need a brand for Australia’s energy future. We need a rallying cry for Australians who believe in ☀️ 🌬️

Not everything about the gas cartel is bad. It is an effective and massive private carbon tax and that has predictable results, via the ABC: Andy McCarthy has been installing rooftop solar panels in Victoria for 18 years, but even he is stunned by the massive recent growth in demand. “It’s been crazy,” he said.

Via The Australian: Labor will take the National Energy Guarantee — devised by Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg — to the next election as its preferred mechanism for reducing emissions. It will scale up the target in the NEG to meet its goal of reducing emissions by 45 per cent. Opposition environment spokesman Mark Butler

Via the AFR: Labor will side with business and oppose the government granting itself powers to force the divestment of energy companies, arguing it is an ad hoc move which would have no impact on power prices and only serve as an investment risk. The Coalition is divided on the so-called “big stick” powers with

Via the AFR today: From the start, the structure of the ADGSM, with its annual decision on whether to curb LNG exports, was seen as vulnerable to “gaming” by gas buyers as they sought to access lower prices. Last September industry sources and analysts said some commercial buyers were deliberately holding off from signing new

From Renegade Economist comes the fantastic Bruce Robertson (IEEFA) on how Australia destroyed its own energy markets: We discuss policies to reduce gas prices as per international best practice. In light of further consolidation in the industry, we discuss how gas sets the baseline price for energy production in the nation. How much could energy

Hope is kindled: Welcome aboard, Rod. This will aid Labor to tackle the gas cartel when it takes power. It must do it first and foremost or as falling house prices drag down the AUD then we’ll see a new gas and electricity price shock smash into the economy. It will be made even worse

The AFR continues its energy jihad against all Australians today: East coast gas buyers have resigned themselves to the prospect of paying around $10 a gigajoule for gas, even with Labor’s gas plan signalling lower prices, said Cooper Energy chief executive David Maxwell. “There no doubt that the mood has changed a lot in the last six