New Australian Renewable Energy Scorecard offers snapshot of renewables rollout

Johanna Bowyer, Tristan Edis 

IEEFA has launched its Australian Renewable Energy Scorecard, an interactive, visual tool, that provides a quarterly overview of the progress of renewable energy projects across Australia. The Scorecard shows there are sufficient renewable energy and battery storage projects in development to meet Australia’s 2030 target, but too few have reached the construction phase. Moving more projects into construction could unlock employment totalling around 127,000 job-years, and around $44 billion in investment. Explore the Scorecard | View the Webinar 

China’s resales of Australian LNG strengthens case for prioritising domestic users

Amandine Denis-Ryan, Josh Runciman 

Growing the benefits of solar sharer tariffs 

Jay Gordon  

Increasing policy support for electrification would enable more households to benefit from solar sharer tariffs, which reward flexible use of electric appliances including hot water systems and air conditioners. For households with electric vehicles, solar sharer tariffs could offer annual savings of between $734 and $2,257. These tariffs also unlock opportunities for batteries in settings where rooftop solar is challenging, such as plug-in batteries for apartments. Read more

Not so hard to abate 

Amandine Denis-Ryan, James Bowen 

Many opportunities to reduce industrial emissions while cutting costs remain untapped, including through energy efficiency, low-grade heat and underground mine electrification, renewables in remote sites, clinker substitution in cement, and capturing fugitive methane. Such measures could deliver benefits beyond cost savings, enhancing productivity, working conditions and energy security. Australia lags other industrialised countries on uptake due to a range of barriers and inadequate incentives. Reforming the Safeguard Mechanism to constrain the use of carbon offsets and introducing complementary policies could put Australia back on track. Read more 

Electrification saves Victorians $185m in three years

Jay Gordon 

Residential electrification in Victoria has reduced household energy bills by $185 million since 2023. It has also cut Victoria’s annual gas demand by an estimated 5.6PJ/year since 2023 – equivalent to 10.5% of demand from large commercial and industrial users. Continued electrification uptake could increase household savings to $6.6 billion by 2040, while saving 40PJ/year in gas demand. New regulations from 2027 will likely accelerate residential electrification. This is important because slowing residential electrification could increase energy security risks for large gas users. Read more

Eastern Australia gas demand continues to fall

Josh Runciman  

Why NSW should not cave in to HVO’s coalmine ultimatum  

Jonathan Teubner 

Hunter Valley Operations (HVO)’s calls for a 19-year mine extension to withstand coal price cycles ignore the fact the market is in structural decline, and the prospect of increasing emissions reduction costs. A 19-year extension is only an "option" to operate, as mines are closed or “mothballed” when they become uneconomic, leaving local communities facing material economic and social impacts in the absence of an exit plan. HVO argued it needs 3-5 years to consult on mine closure, but its owners developed a full exit plan for another mine in just two years. Read more 

Santos, Woodside look overseas for oil as Australia’s reserves slide further  

Kevin Morrison 

Santos’s development of the Pikka oil field in Alaska marks a strategic shift for the company, highlighting the declining prospects for significant new oil production in Australia and the need for Australian oil and gas producers to seek resources abroad. Australia’s unconventional oil resources, particularly shale oil, remain economically unviable and environmentally challenging. Read more 

From buyer to broker: China's emergence as a global LNG reseller  

Christopher Doleman, Sam Reynolds 

China is managing a mismatch between plateauing LNG demand and its rapidly growing LNG contract portfolio by reselling surplus cargoes abroad. IEEFA estimates China resold 17-19 million tonnes of LNG in 2025 alone, and that Chinese companies earned US$4.6 billion in profit from reselling LNG sourced from the US and Australia between 2021 and June 2026. Chinese resales of surplus volumes could exacerbate global LNG oversupply in the coming years. Read more