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Tony Wood

Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute

Tony has deep experience in the energy sector. He worked at Origin Energy for 11 years, and was an adviser to the first Garnaut climate change review. He is also program director of Clean Energy Projects at the Clinton Foundation.

Wholesale power prices are falling fast – but consumers will have to wait for relief. Here’s why

Feb 08, 2024 12:24 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Wholesale power prices are falling steeply in Australia, following two years of surging prices after the Ukraine war triggered an energy crisis. New data shows annualised spot prices for power in Australias main grid fell...

Why Australia urgently needs a climate plan and a Net Zero National Cabinet Committee to implement it

Oct 11, 2023 03:36 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australia has a legislated target to reduce greenhouse emissions, a federal government with commitments to increase the share of renewable electricity and reduce power prices, and a globally important economic opportunity...

Carbon pricing: it's a proven way to reduce emissions but everyone's too scared to mention it

Feb 26, 2020 07:27 am UTC| Insights & Views

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese sought to claim the climate policy high ground last week with his commitment to a net-zero emissions target by 2050. But figures on Australias emissions from the Department of the...

The government can restrain electricity prices without threatening to break up power companies. Its adviser says so

Dec 16, 2018 13:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

Who wouldnt want cheaper power? And who wouldnt enjoy a bit of a stoush between the big bad generators and the government, trying to break them up on our behalf? Even if it was largely tangential to keeping prices...

State governments can transform Australia’s energy policy from major fail to reliable success

Nov 04, 2018 14:29 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Law

This week were exploring the state of nine different policy areas across Australias states, as detailed in Grattan Institutes State Orange Book 2018. Read the other articles in the series here. Energy policy in...

Despite the charged atmosphere, Frydenberg and Finkel have the same goal for electricity

Oct 10, 2017 05:36 am UTC| Insights & Views

Globally in the past seven years, the cost of wind-powered generation has more than halved. Domestically, solar PV costs have dropped more than 50%. By 2020, costs of battery technologies are expected to fall 40-60% and...

Why the free market hasn't slashed power prices (and what to do about it)

Mar 14, 2017 07:13 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The energy sector was supposed to be the showcase for privatisation and market deregulation. Yet in 2017, this premise is being sorely tested no more so than in electricity retailing, where competition has failed to...

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Economy

India Budget 2026: Modi Government Eyes Reforms Amid Global Uncertainty and Fiscal Pressures

Indias central government is set to present its annual budget on Sunday, a closely watched event as Prime Minister Narendra Modis administration seeks to accelerate domestic reforms while navigating rising global...

China Home Prices Rise in January as Government Signals Stronger Support for Property Market

Average prices of new homes across 100 major Chinese cities recorded an increase in January, while price declines in the secondary housing market continued to narrow, according to a private survey. The data suggests early...

South Korea Exports Surge in January on AI Chip Demand, Marking Fastest Growth in 4.5 Years

South Koreas exports recorded a strong start to the year, rising for an eighth consecutive month in January and posting their fastest growth in four and a half years, driven largely by booming global demand for AI servers...

Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Closes Unchanged Amid Mixed Global Signals

Russian stocks finished Saturdays trading session slightly lower overall, with the benchmark MOEX Russia Index closing unchanged at 0.00% in Moscow. Market sentiment remained cautious as investors weighed mixed...

China Factory Activity Slips in January as Weak Demand Weighs on Growth Outlook

Chinas factory activity contracted at the start of the year, highlighting persistent pressure from weak domestic demand despite continued policy support from Beijing. An official survey released on Saturday showed that...

Politics

Trump Says Fed Pick Kevin Warsh Could Win Democratic Support in Senate Confirmation

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that his nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, could secure votes from Senate Democrats during what is expected to be a closely watched and potentially...

Christian Menefee Wins Texas Special Election, Narrowing GOP House Majority

Democrat Christian Menefee has won a Texas special election for the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press, a result that further tightens Republicans slim majority in the chamber. Menefees...

Trump’s Iraq Envoy Mark Savaya Ousted Amid U.S.-Iraq Tensions Over Iran Influence

Mark Savaya, who was named by U.S. President Donald Trump as special envoy for Iraq in October, is no longer serving in that role, according to multiple sources familiar with the decision. The reported removal comes at a...

Keir Starmer Urges Prince Andrew to Testify in U.S. Epstein Investigation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for former Prince Andrew to testify before a U.S. congressional committee following new revelations about his long-standing links to disgraced financier and convicted sex...

U.S. Government Enters Brief Shutdown as Congress Delays Funding Deal

The U.S. government entered a partial shutdown early Saturday after Congress failed to finalize a funding agreement before a midnight deadline, temporarily halting a range of federal operations. The shutdown officially...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Elon Musk’s Empire: SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI Merger Talks Spark Investor Debate

Speculation around a potential Musk Inc has resurfaced as Elon Musks companiesSpaceX, Tesla, and xAIexplore closer ties amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation. With SpaceX expected to go public later...

SpaceX Reports $8 Billion Profit as IPO Plans and Starlink Growth Fuel Valuation Buzz

SpaceX delivered a strong financial performance last year, generating an estimated $8 billion in profit on revenues between $15 billion and $16 billion, according to people familiar with the companys results. The figures,...

SpaceX Updates Starlink Privacy Policy to Allow AI Training as xAI Merger Talks and IPO Loom

SpaceX has revised its Starlink privacy policy to allow customer data to be used for artificial intelligence training, a move that could significantly support Elon Musks broader AI ambitions. The policy change comes as...

Nvidia’s $100 Billion OpenAI Investment Faces Internal Doubts, Report Says

Nvidias ambitious plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, aimed at supporting the training and operation of next-generation artificial intelligence models, has reportedly hit a roadblock. According to a report...

Federal Judge Signals Possible Dismissal of xAI Lawsuit Against OpenAI

A U.S. federal judge has signaled she may dismiss a high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musks artificial intelligence startup, xAI, against rival OpenAI, dealing a potential setback to Musk in an escalating legal battle...