Electricity supply
19 April 2018
Energy ministers must beware the power of conflicts of interest
A well-designed National Energy Guarantee (NEG) for Australia will include a world-first integration of energy and climate change policy. It will deliver reliable and affordable energy as we make the transition to a low-emissions energy future. Yet the challenges ahead will test the skills of even such an energetic politician as Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg.
18 April 2018
Australia’s slow march towards a National Energy Guarantee is gathering pace
The finer policy details of the of the proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG) have begun to leak onto newspaper front pages and websites, ahead of Friday’s crucial meeting of federal and state energy ministers. The good news is that the leaked information suggests solid progress has been made over the past couple of months on both the emissions and reliability components of the policy.
28 March 2018
Heat is on to stop surge in Queensland power bills
The cost of the electricity grid in Queensland has gone up by 75 per cent in a decade – and we’re all paying for it through our power bills. Under successive state governments, more and more money has been spent on building network infrastructure. Trouble is, it’s not clear what benefit consumers are getting from the excessive spending on a bigger network.
26 March 2018
You’re paying too much for electricity, but here’s what the states can do about it
State-owned power networks have spent up to A$20 billion more than was needed on the electricity grid, and households and businesses in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania are paying for it in sky-high power bills.
26 March 2018
Why are our power bills so high? We’re paying for mistakes of the past
The cost of the electricity grid in NSW has almost doubled in a decade — and we’re all paying for it through our power bills. Under successive state governments, more and more money has been spent on building network infrastructure. The trouble is, it’s not clear what benefit consumers are getting from the excessive spending on a bigger network.
25 March 2018
Cut energy bills by ending gold-plated investment
Australians want cheaper electricity. State governments in Queensland, NSW and Tasmania could save consumers $100 to $400 a year by addressing past over-expenditure in their distribution and transmission network businesses.
22 March 2018
As the Libs claim South Australia, states are falling into line behind the National Energy Guarantee
Australia is edging closer to finally having a national, integrated, energy and climate policy. We’ve been here before, and previously have let the perfect become the enemy of the good.
1 February 2018
Designing a more reliable National Electricity Market
Australia is seeking to design a ‘reliability mechanism’ as part of the National Energy Guarantee. This Working Paper provides suggestions on how to design the mechanism and how it might work. On balance, we support a well-designed retailer obligation that utilises commercial market drivers. But we recognise there are risks in this approach. Policy makers will need to consult widely to ensure the new mechanism achieves the right balance between higher reliability and lower costs.
2 January 2018
A high price for policy failure: the ten-year story of spiralling electricity bills
Australia’s electricity sector is in crisis, or something close to it. For most Australians, the most visible impact of this crisis has been their ever-increasing electricity bills.
13 December 2017
AGL keeping Liddell power station open wouldn’t have worked
AGL has delivered an early Christmas present to the federal government. Its plan to replace its ageing Liddell power station in NSW is a commercial example of the transition the government wants to deliver through the proposed National Energy Guarantee (NEG).