Canberra tightens its grip on gas exports as Victoria scraps a major renewable zone, revealing a transition pulled between federal intervention and local grid limits.
The Federal Government’s draft Domestic Supply Obligation legislation mandates WA gas exporters reserve 15% of production for local use, but allows a 10% annual volume deferral over three years. Commencing January 1, 2028, the scheme permits the Energy Minister to vary requirements based on infrastructure outages, subject to a new commercial reasonableness test.
The Federal Government has modified its domestic gas reservation strategy, requiring producers to offer a maximum of 20% of their export volumes to the Australian market to mitigate energy price pressures.
The Victorian Government has cancelled the Central North Renewable Energy Zone, citing limited remaining hosting capacity for additional wind and solar developments. Officials stated the region already contains significant renewable projects, effectively halting further large-scale zoning expansion in the area.
European Energy Australia has finished installing 200,172 solar panels at its Winton North hybrid project, marking a major construction milestone. The facility, which integrates solar and battery storage, is expected to begin operations in 2027.
The federal government intends to grant technical oversight of consumer energy resources, including rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, to its own department instead of an independent regulator. This shift in governance for distributed assets has drawn criticism from consumer advocates who previously expected oversight to sit with a regulatory body.
SMT Energy and FlexGen have commissioned a 160MW/320MWh battery energy storage portfolio in Houston, Texas, completing the project in a six-week timeframe. The dual-hour duration assets are now operational to support the ERCOT grid during periods of record-breaking electricity demand.
Econergy has launched commercial operations at its 70 MW/141 MWh Părău 1 battery project in Romania, paired with an existing 92 MW solar plant to create a 162 MW hybrid site.
We hear from Angus Gordon Lennox, chair of the Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (GSF), which faces a shareholder vote next week on its future.
The South Korean government has launched a committee to rebuild the country's domestic solar supply chain and push next-generation cell technology, as Chinese manufacturers continue to gain ground in its home market.
Deutsche Windtechnik (DWT) has secured a new contract to provide technical maintenance and services for the Riffgat offshore wind farm.
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