Public Policy Papers (By Invited Authors)

Public Policy Paper #3/2013: Getting gas into a market - any market (June 2013)

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Parent Category: Publications

Authors: Robert Pritchard, Executive Director, Energy Policy Institute of Australia and Managing Director, ResourcesLaw International; and Keith Orchison, Principal, Coolibah Pty Ltd, editor of OnPower website, publisher of the "This is Power" blog and a commentator for Business Spectator.

Key Points:

• Eastern Australia, mainly New South Wales, faces a potential gas supply crisis.
• There is plenty of gas in the ground in eastern and central Australia but it is too often blocked from getting into any market by a combination of regulatory, environmental and social constraints that have created a investment imbroglio.
• Some elements of the gas industry contributed to the problem in the early days by not fully appreciating and not adequately responding to community concerns.
• The root cause is nonetheless policy failure in New South Wales, the remedy for which is to immediately establish a well-resourced task force with all affected stakeholders to proactively eliminate the blockages.

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Public Policy Paper #2/2013: No such thing as the cost of renewables? The significance of system and resource costs (June 2013)

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Parent Category: Publications

The second in the Institute's 2013 series of public policy papers is now available for download. 

Author:  Malcolm Keay, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK 

Key Points:

• Governments across the world are supporting renewable energy but the programmes are often controversial.
• In particular, the costs are contentious, with advocates arguing that renewables are competitive; opponents arguing that support for renewables is increasingly expensive.
• One reason for the differing views is that the cost structure of most renewable electricity sources is very different from that of conventional generation.
• The cost depends on the amount and type of renewable energy in a system as well as on the technology used.
• The level and form of government support for renewables should be based on a robust understanding of these costs and the implications for the wider electricity system.
• Where the costs are uncertain, the emphasis should be on limiting total costs, providing incentives for innovation and cost reduction, and removing market barriers.

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Public Policy Paper #1/2013: Trust and Energy Governance in Australia (May 2013)

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Parent Category: Publications

Author:  Robert Pritchard, Executive Director, Energy Policy Institute of Australia; Managing Director, ResourcesLaw International

This paper is the first in a series of Public Policy Papers to be published by the Energy Policy Institute of Australia.  Its key points are ..

• public mistrust is deeply affecting the energy industry
• outbreaks of political activism in Australia, with inadequate responses by government, could become an insuperable obstacle to the entire process of economic development
• consultative processes have been inadequate
• the energy industry has good cause to be alarmed
• there is need to provide for genuine participation by stakeholders in an independent energy institution which brings sound governance and transparency to Australilan energy policy 

Click here to download the full paper.  We welcome your comments.  Please email us via the Contact Us page on this website.