Worried about the cost of living and rising electricity bills?
See why AEMO's Quarterly Energy Dynamics (QED) report released today shows PM's plan to keep coal power stations running "as long as they possibly can" guarantees more unreliable and expensive power🧵#auspol
1/11. AEMO says wholesale electricity prices in the NEM have risen 67% since the December Quarter and 141% since this time last year
The two most black coal dependent states, QLD and NSW are the worst hit, with $150 MWh electricity prices compared to the NEM average of $87 MWh
2/11 AEMO identifies "thermal generation outages" as one of main drivers of higher prices in QLD and NSW.
These regular breakdowns at coal power stations cause instantaneous loss of hundreds of megawatts of scheduled electricity, cutting supply and driving up prices.
3/11. Rate of coal outages/ breakdowns in NSW and QLD have roughly doubled since 2019.
4/11. See some recent examples of coal breakdowns in the NEM here.
5/11. AEMO also identifies black coal "repricing offers into higher bands" as a key driver of higher prices.
This means coal power stns are offering power to the market at increasingly higher prices, and as the dominant price setters in NSW and QLD, prices rise accordingly.
6/11. The price of coal offers was rising well before Ukraine crisis
Several Australian coal power stations are exposed to global prices, and often set the price
Coal dependence means we remain at mercy of global coal prices, esp. in QLD and NSW
Disastrous for energy security
7/11. Wholesale electricity price in QLD ($150 MWh) is more than double SA ($71 MWh).
Price difference between QLD and SA is because the QLD price is being set predominantly by expensive coal (in black), while SA price predominantly set by lower cost renewables and battery.
8/11 The other reason AEMO gives for price increases is rising demand due to unusually hot weather in QLD and Victoria.
Heatwaves are increasing and projected to keep increasing indefinitely because of climate change, yet another reason to shift to renewables asap.
9/11. Here is the ASX futures market showing ongoing price increases especially in NSW and QLD. Its actually higher now than shown in the graph with QLD around $200 MWh
10/11. This quarter had record renewable generation with both black and brown coal declining in output.
11/11. Batteries are pushing out coal for providing Frequency control ancillary services (FCAS) services to stabilise the grid.
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2/8 “The damage done to Australian manufacturing by a 70 per cent appreciation of the real exchange rate in the first decade of the 21st century could have been avoided; for example, by levying a tax on the exports of non-renewable natural resources,”
3/8 “The Australian government still has an opportunity to levy a tax on our fossil fuel exports, reflecting their embodied carbon
“If we don’t do it, importing countries will, eventually.”
Let me try and explain the monumental incompetence of the mismanagement of Australia's gas resources.
Vast amounts of gas is exported from Australia, but not by Australians. Its exported by a handful of predominantly foreign owned multinational gas corporations, 🧵👇1/10
The interests of these foreign owned gas giants are diametrically opposed to the interests of Australians.
Australians want a reliable supply of gas at reasonable prices, while the foreign gas giants want to export as much as possible and charge Australians as much possible. 2/10
Unfortunately successive Australian governments have chosen to support the interests of foreign owned gas corporations instead of the interests of Australians. 3/10
Just as everyone was knocking off for Xmas, the Australian Government approved a massive new gas field that will provide free gas to notorious tax cheats Shell, and add half a BILLION tonnes of emissions to our atmosphere. 🧵👇1/5 info.nopsema.gov.au/environment_pl…
Royalties are the payment gas companies should make for gas. The Australian Government does not levy any royalties on Crux gas, meaning Shell will get the gas for free. 2/5
Shell receive all the gas they sell from Gorgon and Prelude for free and sell it for tens of billions of dollars. Yet most years they pay zero company tax.
This table shows ATO corporate Tax Transparency data to most recent available. 3/6
New Australia Institute analysis of ATO shows that key @Appea members, gas giants Exxon, Santos, Senex, Arrow and APLNG, , paid no income tax over last 7 years on $138 billion income.
Santos paid just $6 million on $27.8 billion income.
Table shows key members of gas lobby group @Appea paying little or no tax over the period data is available from the ATO corporate tax transparency program.
In 2012 when QLD CSG LNG projects were seeking approvals, @Appea published report claiming proponents would pay around $11 billion tax by 2020.
NSW Government assessment recommending approval of Narrabri Gas project riddled with obvious errors. This thread lists just a few: tai.org.au/content/narrab…
Assessment assumes Narrabri could supply up to 50% of NSW gas, overlooking the obvious fact that Santos can just send equivalent amount less gas from Cooper Basin, and export it instead
Assessment says it will bring down NSW gas prices, despite Santos acknowledging it wont to the Departments own expert review, and Department's own director David Kitto admitting it wont at Independent Planning Commission hearings