Scott Morrison visits the Hunter to lay out Hydrogen Hub plans

BY JARROD MELMETH

The federal government have partnered with the Port of Newcastle to investigate the viability of a hydrogen hub in the region.

The commonwealth and the Port will each provide $1.5 million towards a $3 million feasibility study which will consider the best location in the Port for hydrogen infrastructure.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was in the region on Monday to make the announcement and says the Hunter will be at the forefront of the move to hydrogen.

"Hydrogen is one of those great technological opportunities for Australia which is recognised all around the world. When I was in Glasgow recently it is understood, you want to get hydrogen, this is the place to get it.

"This is why we need to invest here in places like the Hunter, because if we make it work here, it will work in so many like regions all around the country.

"Our plans to move to a lower emissions future, very much have the Hunter at the centre of our thinking. Everything we do, every plan we have and every investment we are making, is making sure it works here in the Hunter," Mr Morrison said.

A number of key local stakeholders have signed onto the green hydrogen project aimed at making the Hunter Region a renewable energy powerhouse.

The University of Newcastle is among a suite of industry heavy-hitters, including Lake Macquarie City Council, Jemena and Keolis Downer.

Lake Macquarie City Council have revealed it is seeking funding from the federal government's renewable energy agency to purchase two hydrogen-powered garbage trucks and refueling equipment to test their capability and potential for future fleet rollout.

Council's Director Built and Natural Assets David Hughes says there’s great synergy between what the Port of Newcastle wants to investigate as a supplier, and our vision as a potential end-user of hydrogen.

"“Our existing fleet of 18 garbage trucks consumes 420,000 litres of diesel a year, emitting more than 1.1 million kilos of CO2 annually.

“Our investigations have identified that using hydrogen as a power source in our heavy vehicle fleet could significantly mitigate our carbon emissions, while also supporting the establishment and growth of locally based advanced manufacturing and service organisations," Mr Hughes said.

The federal government is aiming to set Australia up as a major global hydrogen supplier by 2030.

Pictured: Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the
Port of Newcastle on Monday morning.
Image: 2NURFM

Muswellbrook Biorefinery Set For Construction

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

A state-of-the-art biofuel research facility will be built at Muswellbrook following a $4.6 million contribution from the state government.

Council has spent three years working with the University of Newcastle, Apace Research Limited (Apace), Ethanol Technologies Limited (Ethtec) and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to make the Hunter Pilot Biorefinery (HPB) a reality, and the state government's contribution means construction can finally get underway.

"It was the last piece of the puzzle in terms of funding for this particular pilot refinery," said Muswellbrook Shire Mayor Martin Rush. 

"It's just a great outcome for all concerned."

The new facility is set to revolutionise the biofuel industry by manufacturing ethanol from agricultural waste, which will decouple the fuel industry from the food industry.

Previously, biorefineries created fuel from agricultural products that could otherwise be used.

Up to twenty researchers and technicians are expected to be employed at the biorefinery, and as a shared access pilot plant, anyone innovating in biorenewables research will able to use the site.

Martin Rush says the technology used at the plant is "critically important" in making the bio-economy economically viable.

The $30 million facility will be built on Thomas Mitchell Drive.

Vales Point Power Station Not so Worthless Anymore

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Vales Point Power Station on the edge of Lake Macquarie was meant to shut its doors in 2021, but now it's been revealed it won't shut until 2029 and its worth $729 million more than it was bought for.

The coal-fired power station has certainly made plenty of money since it was bought in November 2015 for just $1 million by Sunset Power who are operating the station under the old Delta Electricity name.

At the time of the sale, the ABC reports the Berejiklian government played down the sale of the power station because they believed it was worthless.

Now the massive jump in price has been referred to the Auditor-General.

The power station is quite large, responsible for 11 per cent of the state's electricity, but it's also one of the biggest pollutants in the country emitting 10 million tonnes of pollution each year.

Greens Energy Spokesperson Adam Bandt believes it needs to be shut down, but the flip flopping of energy policy in government is making that impossible.

Vales Point Power Station Image Wikipedia

"There is so much chaos in the electricity market and the electricity system under this government. People are clinging to these old assets no matter how polluting and how near the end of their life they are."

With no firm renewable energy policy from the government, Adam Bandt said everyone is clinging onto their old assets which are increasing in value, making companies more money, but the consumer's power bills more expensive.

"Now these coal-fired power stations are being rewarded for running their plant into the ground and staying open even longer and that's in large part because the government has made the whole of this area so uncertain that we haven't had the new investments in renewables that we need,"

"The choice is Malcolm Turnbull's. Are you going to start now putting your foot on the accelerator and built more renewables so we can close this coal-fired power station? Or are you actively going to make people dip into their pockets and subsidise it so that these coal barons can sit on an asset worth $730 million dollars that they paid $1 million for?" said Adam Bandt.

He also adds the power station is only going to get older and start to struggle to operate, particularly in the heat.

An energy shake-up could be on the cards in the Hunter's future

BY IAN CROUCH and JESSICA ROUSE

The Hunter's energy could be up for a restructure after Chief Scientist Alan Finkel's review into Australia's energy market, but it hasn't gone down well overnight with Federal Coalition MP's.

The review suggests the introduction of an energy target and the orderly closure of coal-fuelled power stations in a move to renewable energy. The energy policy would see electricity prices fall by $90 a year and replace the current renewable energy target by 2020.

The review also calls for an emission intensity scheme which involves setting limits on how much greenhouse gases can be used at power stations.

However, the Prime Minister's push for an energy target which rewards businesses which use renewable was rejected by the majority of Coalition MPs amid fears it will do nothing to reduce electricity prices.

Alan Finkel Image www.chiefscientist.gov.au

Chief Executive of Australia Solar and Energy Storage Councils' John Grimes believes the review will help create new energy opportunities in the Hunter region.

"This will actually drive innovation and investment in renewable energy so we could well see new jobs and a big investment in large scale solar in particular in the Hunter Valley and there will be a transitioning of skills from people who've been employed in the old energy sector into the new energy sector."

With many MP's fearful of the future of coal, Federal Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has told the ABC overnight his colleagues have no reason to worry.

"Certainly people are very concerned about the future of coal and rightly so too, they understand that coal is a critical source of baseline power and under Dr Finkel's recommendations it would still provide more than 50 per cent of the power across the national electricity market by 2030."

He adds that a practical solution will be reached in time and that Dr Finkel's report isn't recommending a specific baseline for a clean energy target, "It's not the government's report, it's a report to government from Dr Finkel and it's important that we are at the very early stages."

Chief Executive John Grimes believes the energy system urgently needs to be modernised because "the power system is broken. It's not delivering cheap energy for households and for businesses so we need to modernise the sector, that's what this is about - it's about giving incentive for new cheaper technology to compete with the old technology and push electricity prices down for everybody".

Energy Crisis forum for Newcastle today

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Resolving Australia's energy crisis, could start close to home in Newcastle, with a forum today to discuss the future of gas energy production in the region.

The forum will be held at Fort Scratchley hosted by the Newcastle branch of the Australian Institute of Energy.

Weston Energy CEO Garbis Simonian and Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon will also participate, championing the idea of gas playing a major role in the Hunter's economy into the future, as the coal industry fades out.

Image theaustralian.com.au

"Our coal fired generators are reaching the end of their commercial life and we need to plan for what the period after that looks like. We need a transition to renewable's and I think gas is the answer and we need to have a debate about getting more gas out of the ground," said Joel Fitzgibbon.

The forum will be just the start of stimulating debate about the Hunter's own energy crisis, with many more discussions planned for the future.

"Well I hope to have rolling discussions about these issues over the course of the next six months. We need to have these conversations because if we don't find some answers then our lights are going to be turning off, we won't have heating for our homes and our manufacturing plants will be closing down. That's a real crisis," said Joel Fitzgibbon.

Other guest speakers today include Jim Snow, Executive Director of Oakley Greenwood and Adjunct Professor UQ, as well as Alister Alford, formerly Acting general Manager of Marketing for Delta Electricity.

Hints to a clean coal fired power station

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Federal government's flip flopping between carbon emission policies since 2007 is being blamed for Tomago Aluminium's reluctance to invest in the region.

Tomago Aluminium is already an industry heavyweight, employing 1150 workers and contributing a huge $800 million to the Hunter's economy.

However, it seems the Federal government could give them a helping hand to be even better, hinting at the possibility of subsidising a new ultra-clean coal-fired power station.

A clean coal setup would increase Tomago's competitiveness in the region, but its viability is being questioned by industry heavyweights, AGL and Energy Australia.

The Newcastle Herald reports Chief Executive Matt Howell says Tomago made a submission to the national energy market security review which showed the uncertainty caused by changes to policy since the Rudd government have impacted businesses that are "highly dependent on outcomes in the electricity market".

Newcastle could be gas leader: MP

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Federal Member for the Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon says four years of policy confusion has put Australia on the brink of an energy crisis; but Newcastle could turn this future around.

The principal trade of the Port of Newcastle is coal and it is the world's largest coal export port.

Joel Fitzgibbon says Newcastle is the perfect place to deliver affordable and reliable energy to the manufacturing sector with land, transmission lines and a workforce already abundant in the area.

"Well sadly our coal generators are coming to the end of their commercial lives and we are well placed to replace them with gas based generators. Our future is in renewable and storage technology, but they are some way off yet and we need a transition fuel to get us to a heavier reliance on renewables and there's no better place to do this than the Hunter region," he said.

The precarious energy crisis needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, and Joel Fitzgibbon thinks the government should provide the policy guidance needed to bring gas to the market, and to Newcastle.

"It's a plan for jobs, a plan for economic growth and a plan for a cleaner future. Let's get on with it."

Government failing Hunter on energy: MP

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

The federal government have no idea what the Hunter's energy providers are facing, and lack the plans to move providers into the future, Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon said.

During Thursday's parliamentary Question Time, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the House of Representatives that Labor had a plan to close coal-fired electricity generators across the Hunter.

However, Mr Fitzgibbon said "nothing could be further from the truth".

"The Hunter's major coal-fired power generators are reaching the end of their commercial lives, we'd known this for a long time," he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon shouting "rubbish" at Mr Turnbull in Question Time on Thursday

He has accused the federal government, especially Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, of not having a plan to transition the region away from coal-fired generators.

"It's extraordinary how Barnaby Joyce represents the upper parts of the Hunter, but doesn't seem to understand that our power generators are coming to the end of their useful life," he said.

"We need a transition plan to retain jobs and to retain our reputation as the powerhouse of New South Wales, but, sadly, he and Malcolm Turnbull have no plan."

Mr Fitzgibbon's defence came after Question Time on Thursday, where Mr Turnbull, responding to a question about negative gearing from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten made the claim that Labor wanted to close down coal-fired power stations.

"The Member for Hunter represents an electorate - the jobs in which are based on energy, on affordable energy," Mr Turnbull said.

Mr Turnbull in Question Time on Thursday

"He is a member of a party that wants to shut it all down."

Mr Fitzgibbon can be clearly heard yelling "rubbish" multiple times after Mr Turnbull made the claim, prompting him to be formally warned by House Speaker Tony Smith.

The Prime Minister's meandering tangent from negative gearing to coal-fired power generators in the Hunter Valley made Mr Smith also accept Mr Shorten's point of order on relevance.

Instead of return to negative gearing, the Prime Minister continued addressing power concerns in the Hunter, turning the attention to Paterson MP Meryl Swanson.

Ms Swanson's inaudible interjections were heard in the House.