From industry appointments and resignations, to new energy projects, in 2018 the energy industry has had a strong focus on renewable energy generation and integration, and creating a sustainable energy network for the future. As 2018 is coming to a close, we take a look back at Energy’s most-read news stories for the year.
When AGL Energy announced that it was moving Managing Director and CEO, Andy Vesey, on – at the same time that Malcolm Turnbull was being moved on as Prime Minister – the energy industry sat up and took notice.
After almost four years in the role, it was a sudden, and shocking, announcement. AGL CFO, Brett Redman, stepped into the role of interim CEO, and Damien Nicks, AGL’s General Manager, Group Commercial Finance, was appointed interim CFO. Brett Redman has since been appointted as Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director on a permanent basis effective 1 January 2019.
At a critical time for the sector, and following a series of major leadership changes in Canberra, Angus Taylor’s appointment as Australia’s new Federal Energy Minister was big news for our readers.
In November, the New South Wales Government launched a new Transmission Infrastructure Strategy which our readers wanted to learn more about.
The strategy, which has been designed to create a grid of the future powered by alternate technologies, sets out a plan to build a NSW network that delivers reliable, affordable energy for NSW.
Readers were keen to learn about the waste-to-energy facility Phoenix Energy and Macquarie Capital have planned for Kwinana, WA.
Back in January, the two companies entered into exclusive negotiations with a consortium to design, construct and operate the facility — which will start commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2020 and is expected to be fully operational in the second quarter of 2021. In October, the project secured $23 million in funding from ARENA to support its development.
When Australia’s largest microgrid project was announced in October, it grabbed the attention of the energy industry.
The new $15 million Victorian project will enable small to large businesses in the Latrobe Valley to cut their electricity bills by up to $10,000 per year. The project, which includes Victorian Government funding of $3 million, will see solar solutions company Ovida install, own and operate rooftop solar panels, battery storage systems and smart interconnected technology.
