As Fuel Crisis bites, these excerpts from Chris Uhlmann in the WE Aust show Australia is on the cliff’s edge.
Quote: "Despite decades of talk about transition, the world still runs predominantly on oil, gas and coal. When the flow of those fuels slows, the consequences rip through the international economy.
A basic truth: fossil fuels built the modern world and still sustain it. Wealth is energy converted into work. The more energy a society commands, the richer it becomes. The price of oil and gas underpins the price of everything.
Australia is rich in hydrocarbons and could shield itself from global shocks by exploiting the wealth beneath our feet. Instead, our rulers have chosen to restrict the fuels that power our economy. After 20 years of “transitioning”,
“Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) accounted for 91 per cent of Australia’s primary energy mix in 2023-24,” the government website says. “Oil accounted for the largest share of Australia’s primary energy mix in 2023-24 at 41 per cent, followed by coal and gas both at 25 per cent. Renewable energy sources accounted for 9 per cent.”
To put this in perspective, the global primary energy mix is about 82 per cent fossil fuel dependent. So even by the hydrocarbon-guzzling standards of the world, Australia is unusually gluttonous and nowhere more so than in transport.
“In today’s market, Australia imports over 90 per cent of the refined products and crude oil we need to meet our demand.”
About 80 per cent of the diesel, petrol and jet fuel, Australia uses comes from refineries in Singapore and South Korea. Only about 20 per cent is produced at the country’s two remaining refineries in Brisbane and Geelong, and they rely largely on imported crude. It all arrives in a steady stream of about two tanker deliveries a day under long-term contracts, with prices typically benchmarked to the Singapore fuel market". End quote
Now, China, Australia’s biggest supplier of aviation fuel, has told oil refiners to halt exports. Will Singapore and South Korea hesitate too? Where will that leave Australia?
This shows the big risk Australia HAS BEEN TAKING BY NOT EXPLOITING AND REFINING OUR OWN RESOURCES OF OIL, GAS, COAL AND URANIUM.
AN EQUAL HUGE RISK WE HAVE IS CONTIUING WITH THE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLES IS GUARANTEED TO BE A DISASTER.
1. Our Grid is now made up of thousands of individual Solar, Wind, Batteries and HV Transmission Lines. The complexity means it will become unmanageable. It will only take ten second surges of power or ten seconds of power loss. To trigger blackouts.
2. Australia desperately needs, an abundance of low cost, baseload electricity for a successful, prosperous economy. But with the huge ownership of foreign companies of all sections of the Grid. Their only interest is to make big profits or in some case control Australia’s Grid.
This is a list of a number of Australian, but mostly International Companies that will control Australia’s Unreliable Energy Factories. In a crisis can they be expected to act in Australia’s interest?
1. Partners Group, OPTrust (Switzerland, Canada)
2. Mitsui (Japan)
3. Squadron Energy (Australia)
4. Iberdrola Australia (Spain)
5. Neoen (France)
6. Energy Australia (Hong Kong)
7. Acciona (Italy)
8. Power China (China)
9. Pacific Blue (China)
10. RATCH – Australia (Thailand)
11. Retail Employees Superannuation Trust (Australia)
12. Tilt Renewables (Australia)
13. RES (UK)
14. APA Group (Australia)
15. Palisade Investment Partners (Australia)
16. Goldwind Australia (China)
17. AGL Energy (Australia)
18. Neoen & Megawatt Capital (France, Australia)
19. Neoen (France)
20. Infigen Energy / Iberdrola ( Spain)
21. Northleaf Capital Partners, InfraRed Capital & Macquarie Capital
22. (Canada, UK, Australia)
23. Nexif Energy Australia (Singapore)
24. AGL Energy (Australia)
25. Goldwind Australia (China)
26. Foresight Group (UK)
27. Synergy and Foresight Group (Australia, UK)
28. Partners Group (Switzerland)
29. Hydro Tasmania (Australia)
30. CWP Renewables / Squadron Energy (Australia)
31. TILT Renewables (Australia)
32. Goldwind Australia (China)
33. Engie (France)
34. CLP & Hydro Tasmania (Hong Kong, Australia)
35. Unión Fenosa Wind Australia (Spain)
36. EDL (Hong Kong)
37. CBD Energy/Banco Santander (Spain)
38. BJCE Australia (China)
39. Ark Energy (Korea)
40. Acciona & Clean Co (Spain, Australia)
41. Westwind Energy / Shell Australia (Netherlands)
42. BayWa re (Germany)
43. Windlab / Squadron Energy (Australia)
44. Westwind Energy (Germany)
45. Enerfin/Statkraft (Spain, Norway)
46. AGL Energy/Meridian Energy (Australia, NZ)
47. Tian Run Australia (China)
48. Epic Energy (Australia)
49. Transfield Infrastructure Fund (Australia / Thailand)
50. Acciona Energy/ ANZ Infrastructure Services (Spain, Australia)
51. Wind Power Pty Ltd / Origin Energy (Australia)
52. Global Power Generation Australia (Spain, Kuwait)
53. NewEn (Germany)
54. Synergy Wind (Australia)
55. Woolnorth Wind Farms (Australia, China)
56. Stanwell Corporation & WindLab Systems (Australia)
57. Engie/Mitsui (France, Japan)
58. EnergyAustralia/Acciona (Hing Kong / Spain)
59. Neoen & Megawatt Capital (Spain, Israel)
60. Infrastructure Capital (UK)
61. Spark Renewables (Malaysia)
62. Octopus Investments (UK)
63. Wind Power Queensland (Australia)
64. Lacour (Australia)
65. CleanSight & Siemens Financial Services (Australia, Germany)
66. Genex Power (Japan)
67. Australia Energy Windfarm (Australia)
68. Power China (China)
69. Hydro Tasmania (Australia)
70. Bright Energy Investments (Australia)
71. Blair Fox (Australia)
72. Mount Barker Power Company (Australia)
73. Advanced Energy Resources (Australia)
74. Alinta Energy (Hong Kong)
ALL THESE FOREIGN COMPANIES ONLY HAVE PROFITS AS THEIR MOTIVES, NOT AUSTRALIA’S NEED FOR LOW COST, RELIABLE BASELOAD POWER. ANOTHER REASON THE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLES MUST BE STOPPED.
This is why our petition: TO STOP THE CLOSURE OF ALL THE AUSTRALIAN COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS AND TO KEEP THEM RUNNING IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
This includes Eraring NOW 2029, Yallourn NOW 2032), Bayswater in 2033, with Loyang A in 2045 and all other coal fired power stations.
And no consideration of them being closed be considered until assured supplies of base load electricity 24/7 is available from coal, gas or uranium powered generators. Even if this requires the coal fired generators be compulsory acquired by the relevant Government, in the National interest and to maintain the supply of base load electricity 24/7 that is essential to STOP the Grid from collapsing.
OUR PETITION TO KEEP OUR COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS RUNNING. Is educating everyone of how important coal fired power stations are to keeping the Grid from crashing.
https://www.change.org/p/blackouts-will-be-devastating-they-must-be-avoided-at-all-costs
YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR PETITION WITH DONATIONS WILL BE REPAID WITH BASELOAD ELECTRICITY FOR THE NEXT CRITICAL FIFTEEN TO TWENTY YEARS. Be it $10, $20, $50 or $100 please make a donation and keep our petition in the public eye. AND KEEP THE BLACKOUTS AT BAY. The more signatures we get the more wins will keep coming and the coal fired power stations will be kept running. Promote the petition on Change.org and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Whatsapp or Email.
KEEP INFORMED BY DAILY MONITORING THE AEMO DATA DASHBOARD. And alert your friends to watch the AEMO dashboard, the more know what's happening the better.
Particularly at 7pm and 7am (Or a time that suits you?) watch (and record) the mix of coal, gas hydro, batteries, solar and wind generation and the prices per MWh for each State on the AEMO dashboard.
Example: Eastern States 14/3/26 11.15am AESDST.. Batteries 0%, Biomass 0%, Black Coal 36% Brown Coal 15%, Gas 2%, Hydro 3% Diesel 0% Solar 32%, Wind 11%. 11.15am a time when solar is dominant, making electricity production in most States uneconomical.
As shown by these statistics where generators are paying for the Grid to take their electricity. 14/3/26 11.15am AESDST. In Qld the generators had to pay - $10.01MWh. NSW has to pay - $10.21Mwh. SA to pay the huge amount of -$49.19MWh Vic to pay -$52.25MWh and only Tas is paying the smallish amount of +$47.77MWh.
Meanwhile our coal fired generators are the backbone of the Grid. 14/3/26 11.15am AESDST. In NSW coal is producing 39% Solar 51%, Wind 9%, Qld coal 63%, solar 20% wind 14% Vic Brown coal 68%, solar 25%, wind 7%. SA batteries 0%, gas 16%, solar 8%, wind 75% and Tas hydro 88%, wind 12%.
WITHOUT COAL AUSTRALIA WOULD BE BLACKED OUT.
STOP PRESS: WHAT CAN HAPPEN. South Australia 4th June 2024 9.05pm EST. Batteries 0%, Gas 97%, Diesel 3% Solar 0%, Wind 0%.
SA RENEWABLES CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA WITH BATTERIES, SOLAR AND WIND PRODUCING NO ELECTRICITY, ZERO, NOTHING
We are up to 4,562 signatures, let’s increase it by many more, everyone’s future depends on it. Continue to spread the word, to all family, friends, anyone you meet, particularly discuss it with shop and business owners. Ask the question, “How do you plan to cope when the blackouts come? The possibility is too awful to contemplate.
WE MUST KEEP THOSE COAL FIRED GENERATORS GOING, TO KEEP OUR SOCIETY FROM HAVING BLACKOUTS, POWER RATIONING AND EXHORBITENT ENERGY PRICES.