Strung together - The Queensland state government has committed A$3.2 bln ($2.2 bln) to the state's CopperString electricity transmission project, with A$420 mln coming from its latest budget, it announced. The funding will support construction activities for the Eastern Link as well as enabling works for the Western Link, including through the North West Energy Fund. The first stage of the project is expected to be complete by 2032, connecting north and northwest Queensland to the National Electricity Market (NEM).

When governments provide short-term relief for energy crises, they tend to go in the wrong direction, whereas prioritising structural responses can create much greater resilience in the long run, according to new research.

Free gas – Genesis Energy has agreed to shut unit five of its Huntly power station from July 1 until the end of the year to free up gas for commercial and industrial users, the New Zealand gentailer said on Wednesday. The 400 MW unit was closed for three months last year for a similar reason, the company added, noting that this year’s arrangement is supported by an established coal stockpile at the site, good availability of hydropower, and its broader generation and fuel portfolio. Genesis has been signing agreements to procure torrefied wood pellets for use at Huntly, estimating that it will need 300,000 t of biomass annually by FY2028. New Zealand’s electricity system is dominated by renewables – with clean energy accounting for over 90% of electricity supplied over the past six months – but it currently relies on fossil fuels to fill the gap in dispatchable energy, such as in dry years. Power generation is covered by the NZ ETS, boosting the economic case for biomass.

An Indigenous carbon group has said the staged consent process outlined by the Australian government's carbon market reforms needs to be tightened up, while project developers warned expanding consent rights to Native Title claimants could impact the viability of some carbon projects.

Solar shine – A 50% increase in solar capacity year-on-year helped lift New Zealand’s renewable energy supply to 94.5% in Q1 2026, government data on Thursday showed – the second consecutive quarter where renewables accounted for over 90% of electricity. The latest Energy Quarterly reported record solar output, of 373 GWh, for the three months ending Mar. 31, with hydro and wind power also up around 20%, compared with Q1 2025, to 5,900 GWh and 877 GWh, respectively. Surging renewable energy meant that coal and gas-fired generation dropped, down 65.6% and 67.4% YoY respectively. Emissions from power generation, covered by the NZ ETS, also fell by around 63% YoY, to 420,000 tCO2e.

Philling up – The government of the Philippines has made the first Global South contribution to the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the intergovernmental organisation said in a press release this week. It came as GGGI signed an MoU with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which underpins a formal operational framework to accelerate the latter’s sustainable aviation fuel roadmap.

New Zealand could face a bill of up to NZ$6.6 billion ($3.8 bln) to meet its Paris Agreement targets out to 2035, government modelling released Thursday showed.