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					</table>The Japanese Government&#8217;s Green Innovation Fund has committed A$2.35 billion (~$1.6 billion) to the <a href="https://www.hydrogenenergysupplychain.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain</a> project in Victoria, which is considered Australia&#8217;s most advanced clean hydrogen project.
The funding will be administered by Japan Suiso Energy (JSE), which comprises Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Iwatani Corporation. The liquefaction and shipping facility at the industrial port of Hastings will be owned and operated by JSE. A newly formed joint venture, &#8216;JPSC&#8217; between J-Power and Sumitomo Corporation, will provide 30,000 tons of clean hydrogen per year to the facility.
The significant infusion of funds will empower JSE to develop and construct large-scale commercial facilities for liquefying and transporting hydrogen from the Port of Hastings in Victoria to the Port of Kawasaki in Japan, bringing substantial economic advantages to the region, particularly Hastings.
The JPSC will extract hydrogen from coal in the Latrobe Valley while utilizing CO2 capture and storage technologies in the nearby Bass Strait. This project will aid in decreasing atmospheric CO2 emissions, with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. When operating at full capacity, the project will generate numerous sustainable energy employment opportunities in the Latrobe Valley and Hastings.
Eiichi Harada, CEO of JSE, said, &#8220;After a decade of working with the Japanese, Australian, and Victorian governments, our efforts to establish a world-first clean hydrogen energy supply chain have been rewarded. This is a watershed moment for our combined efforts to decarbonize global energy production. This commitment of A$2.35 billion (~$1.6 billion) gives all participants in the hydrogen supply chain the confidence to progress to the next stage of commercialization.&#8221;
&#8220;This is a complex project, and there is still some way to go regarding approvals, design, construction, and commissioning, but this is a major boost for the Victorian economy on its journey towards a clean energy future. The project will bring new clean energy infrastructure and jobs to the Hastings and Latrobe Valley communities,&#8221; Harada added.
The carbon emissions of the hydrogen manufactured will be authenticated through the Guarantee of Origin system, which is being developed by the Australian government to align with international hydrogen markets. This mechanism will aid in precisely evaluating and establishing the carbon intensity of the produced hydrogen.
In January 2022, the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain pilot project showcased that pure liquid hydrogen can be obtained from a blend of Latrobe Valley coal and biomass, liquefied, transported, and discharged at the port of Kobe in Japan.
The Australian and Victorian governments jointly contributed $100 million towards the $500 million project, while the Japanese government and the project partners supplied the remaining funds.
Last October, Queensland <a href="https://mercomindia.com/queensland-spend-a62-billion-develop-renewable-supply-chain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> its plans to spend A$62 billion (~$40.11 billion) over the next 15 years to build a robust renewable supply chain in the Australian state. To transform the energy system, Queensland will need 25 GW of renewable energy by 2035. This means connecting an additional 22 GW of wind and solar on top of the existing 3 GW operational in the Queensland system.
Earlier in 2021, the Australian Government research agency CSIRO and its partners had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> a $68 million Hydrogen Industry Mission. The research mission will help drive down the cost of hydrogen production to under $2/kg, making the fuel more affordable and helping Australia lead world exports in hydrogen by 2030.

Japan to Spend $1.6 Billion to Extract Clean Hydrogen from Coal in Australia

<a href="https://www.mpower.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MPower</a>, an Australia-based renewable project developer, acquired a 5 MW shovel-ready solar project in the Aussie state of Victoria. The Faraday project will produce more than 11,500MWh of electricity per year and can power upwards of 1,500 homes in the region and deliver significant carbon offsets.
Located in Faraday, Victoria, approximately 116km northwest of Melbourne, the Faraday project will supply clean energy to the local region via a network of 11,000 bifacial solar panel modules. In aggregate, the modules can produce more than 11,500MWh of electricity in the project’s first year of operation. The project will have the capacity to power upwards of 1,500 homes. It will also operate with an estimated carbon offset contribution of 8,150,000kg CO2.
MPower has finalized the Asset Purchase Agreement that was entered into in 2021 with Tetris Energy and has become the owner of all development assets with the shovel-ready project.
Total consideration for the project comprised a purchase price of $462,000, including GST. Pending the commencement of construction and the finalization of longer-term financing arrangements, the purchase price has, in the interim, been 100% funded by an unsecured loan to the project entity from MPower’s largest shareholder, Tag Private Pty Limited, an entity associated with MPower Chairman Peter Wise and CEO Nathan Wise. The loan has a three-month term and an interest rate of 12% per annum.
Chief Executive Officer, Nathan Wise, said: “We are pleased to confirm the successful completion of this Asset Purchase Agreement, following an extensive period of collaboration with the project vendors and local authorities. We are very encouraged by the corporate and operational progress we have made in recent months. The Faraday site is directly aligned with our stated strategy to build a network of efficient 5 MW projects to supply stable, clean energy to regional areas with strong demand.
We look forward to providing more meaningful updates for Faraday and our broader portfolio strategy in the current quarter.”
According to Mercom’s recently released Annual and Q4 Solar Funding and M&amp;A <a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/product/annual-q4-2022-solar-funding-ma-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Report</a>, there were 268 large-scale solar project acquisitions in 2022 compared to 280 transactions in 2021. In 2022, about 66 GW of solar projects were acquired, with project developers picking up the most, reaching 35.7 GW. Solar project acquisitions in terms of GW were at the second-highest level ever.

MPower Acquires 5 MW Solar Project in Victoria

The <a href="https://www.energy.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government</a> of the Australian state Victoria has issued a request for proposal (RfP) under the Second Victorian Renewable Energy Target Auction (VRET2) to develop at least 600 MW of renewable energy projects.
The last date for the submission of bids is November 9, 2021. The list of successful projects is expected to be announced in the middle of 2022.
An industry briefing session will be held on September 8, 2021, to assist renewable energy developers to understand the VRET2 auction process, including eligibility and evaluation criteria.
The projects are expected to attract $1 billion investment, create over 2,000 new jobs, and reduce power bills for every household and business in the state by putting downward pressure on wholesale power prices.
The VRET2-supported projects will also help satisfy the state’s legislated renewable energy targets of 40% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 and meet the government’s commitment to sourcing 100% renewable electricity for all its operations by 2025.
In addition, power generated by these renewable energy projects will satisfy the Victorian government’s power consumption for schools, hospitals, Melbourne’s train network, and several other government infrastructure and services.
Australia is consistently moving towards clean energy sources of power. Last year, Australia’s Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australia-invest-low-emission-technologies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the government is expected to invest $18 billion through new investments in low-emission technologies over the next ten years to reduce carbon emissions. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australian-agency-receives-1-62-billion-to-reduce-emissions/">received</a> a funding package worth $1.62 billion from the government to enhance the utilization of low emission technologies to cut emissions across the chain.
Last year, the government of Victoria <a href="https://mercomindia.com/solar-homes-battery-rollout/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would provide $191 million to expand its solar homes program. With 42,000 additional solar rebates, the program would help 140,000 households install solar panels on their rooftops at no upfront cost over the next two years. The program is also expected to include 15,000 solar rebates for small businesses. Besides that, the government would also provide battery rebates to 17,500 households over the next three years.
To achieve the government initiatives towards a cleaner economy, Lumea, a commercial arm of TransGrid, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/lumea-eoi-battery-storage-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> an expression of interest to develop a 300 MW grid-scale battery storage system in Victoria, Australia. The battery storage system would operate in the National Electricity Market from the Deer Park Energy Hub in Victoria, an important power supply source for metropolitan Melbourne.
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation, an Australian Government-owned green bank, has <a href="https://www.cefc.com.au/media/media-release/cefc-backs-300-mw-victorian-big-battery-to-strengthen-grid-and-support-more-renewable-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invested</a> $160 million to build the 300 MW Victorian big battery, providing a boost to the state’s grid security. The CEFC senior debt facility will finance the design, construction, and operation of the battery, which is expected to be operational for the 2021-22 summer.

Bids Invited for 600 MW of Renewable Energy Projects in Australia

<a href="http://www.lumea.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lumea</a>, a commercial arm of <a href="https://www.transgrid.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TransGrid</a>, has issued an expression of interest (EoI) to develop a 300 MW grid-scale battery storage system in Victoria, Australia.
The company plans to develop the project without using government funding.
The company said the battery storage system would operate in the National Electricity Market from the Deer Park Energy Hub in Victoria, an important power supply source for metropolitan Melbourne.
According to Lumea, the EoI process will confirm market interest and determine the battery’s optimal size and duration. It will help inform whether there are any opportunities to supply system reliability service to the grid as the energy economy transforms towards higher renewable energy generation.
To conclude the choice of market participants, the company is in talks with renewable energy generators and energy sector organizations to participate in the project through the tender process.
Nigel Buchanan, Head of Infrastructure, Lumea, said, “Lumea is committed to the transition to a smarter energy future, and batteries are an important solution to the issues we face as renewable energy increases as the main source of Australia’s electricity generation.”
“The Deer Park Battery will prove that grid-scale battery energy storage systems are a good long-term investment to maintain reliability and security of the system, ultimately bringing lower energy costs to customers,” Buchanan added.
TransGrid’s network at Darlington Point Substation will also be <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-canadian-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">connected</a> to the Riverina Energy Storage System &#8211; a 100 MW/200 MWh lithium-ion battery project. The AUD 3.2 billion ($2.5 billion) project was awarded to Royal Dutch Shell recently. Shell Energy is signing a long-term services agreement for operational rights to a 60 MW/120 MWh part of the project.
Last year, the government of New South Wales and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-total/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">awarded</a> funding to TransGrid for the installation of the first large-scale grid battery at TransGrid’s Wallgrove substation in Western Sydney, Australia. The Wallgrove grid battery project will trial the use of a 50 MW/75 MWh lithium-ion battery to provide fast frequency response and synthetic inertia services to the New South Wales transmission network. Tesla will design the battery by using the Tesla Megapacks, and the battery will be connected directly to TransGrid’s transmission network.
According to Mercom Capital Group’s latest <a href="https://mercomindia.com/corporate-funding-battery-storage-4-7-billion-q1-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> <a href="https://mercomcapital.com/product/q1-2021-funding-ma-report-storage-grid-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Q1 2021 Funding and M&amp;A Report for Storage, Grid, and Efficiency</a>, total corporate funding (including VC, debt, and public market financing) for battery storage companies in Q1 2021 stood at $4.7 billion in 17 deals against $3.1 billion in 19 deals in Q4 2020. The figures were up significantly compared to $244 million in nine deals in Q1 2020.

Lumea Invites EoI to Develop 300 MW Battery Storage System in Australia

The Australian state of Victoria is investing $797 million to help citizens cover their electricity bill costs and make homes more energy efficient.
&#8220;The victorian budget 2020/21 will deliver the biggest household energy efficiency package in any state&#8217;s history, creating thousands of jobs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,&#8221; said its energy minister Lily D&#8217;Ambrosio.
The minister stated that the government of the Australian state of Victoria would provide $191 million to expand its solar homes program. The program, with 42,000 additional solar rebates, would help 140,000 households install solar panels on their rooftops at no upfront cost over the next two years. She added that the program would also include 15,000 solar rebates for small businesses. Besides that, the government would also provide battery rebates to 17,500 households over the next three years.
“Most Victorians have spent more time at home this year – and more on power bills – than they ever have. That’s why we’re helping those struggling to pay their bills and making homes across the state more energy efficient,” added the minister. 
According to the press statement, the government will provide a one-off $250 payment for eligible concession cardholders, including anyone receiving youth allowance, jobseeker, or pension payments. The direct bill relief payment will be available for 950,000 Victorian households.
As part of the package, $335 million will be invested to replace electric or gas-fired heaters and old wood with affordable and safer energy-efficient systems, which can help 250,000 households save between $300 to $900 annually on their power bills.
The minister said $112 million would be allocated for sealing windows and doors and upgrading heating, cooling, and hot water in 35,000 social housing properties. Besides that, $14 million will be invested to expand the existing Victorian Energy Upgrades program, enabling households to access rebates for smart appliances, she added.
According to the announcement, the government will introduce minimum efficiency standards for rental properties to reduce tenants&#8217; energy bills. It is also expected to provide funding to put Victoria on track for 7-star efficiency standards for new homes.
In September 2020, Australia&#8217;s Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australia-invest-low-emission-technologies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> that the government is expected to invest $18 billion through new investments in low-emission technologies over the next ten years to reduce carbon emissions.
Earlier this year, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency <a href="https://mercomindia.com/australian-agency-receives-1-62-billion-to-reduce-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">received</a> a funding package worth $1.62 billion from the government to enhance the utilization of low emission technologies to cut emissions across the chain.

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