NSW minister bills energy retailers $40m for climate change fund; TRUenergy comes in last in green electricity rankings; Shift back to shipping not a freight emissions saviour; EEO workshops scheduled

NSW minister bills energy retailers $40m for climate change fund

The NSW Government has ordered EnergyAustralia, Integral Energy Australia and Country Energy to contribute a total of $40 million over 2007-08 to the state’s Climate Change Fund. EnergyAustralia must contribute almost half ($18,814,000 million) with Integral Energy ordered to pay in $12,232,000 million and Country Energy $8,954,000. NSW Climate Change Minister Phil Koperberg’s Energy and Utilities Administration (Energy Contributions) Order 2007 is authorised under s34J of the Energy and Utilities Administration Act 1987.

TRUenergy comes in last in green electricity rankings

Only two of 53 green electricity products independently rated for environment groups received a ‘very poor’ rating – and energy retailer TRUenergy sells both. TRUenergy’s Planet Starter and Go Green products, which comprise only a 10% portion of , shared the wooden spoon in the ratings done for WWF Australia, the Total Environment Centre and the ACF. TRUenergy’s two other green power products fared slightly better, with Planet Plus gaining one star (poor) and its TRUenergy product given two stars (fair). The Green Electricity Watch 2007 ratings give thirteen products a four-star ‘very good’ rating. They include three products from Origin, two from Energy Australia and three from ActewAGL. The ratings are only for green electricity products targeting the residential market. Ratings of products targeting business will be released next month. Green Electricity Watch 2007: Residential Products (Jay Rutovitz, October 2007)

Shift back to shipping would not be a freight emissions saviour

Even though coastal shipping is more energy efficient and less emissions intensive than road and rail transport, reversing the trend away from shipping to land transport modes is unlikely to be an effective or efficient greenhouse strategy, an Australia Institute discussion paper says. The paper says if coastal shipping gained an additional 11% of the non-urban freight market (giving it the equivalent of its 1991 share) there would be emission savings. But they would be modest – a 2% saving in overall transport emissions and a 5% saving in freight emissions. Climate Change and Australian Coastal Shipping: Discussion Paper No. 97 (Australia Institute, October 2007)

Energy Efficiency Opportunities workshops scheduled

The federal EEO program has scheduled two sets of workshops around Australia for October and November. One series will focus on energy assessments and the other will focus on preparing assessment reporting schedules. The federal EEO scheme requires Australia’s largest energy users to identify, evaluate and publicly report on energy saving opportunities.