Highlights from the Australian market
- EV sales in Australia have more than doubled in a year to one in four new cars sold, with EVs outselling petrol and diesel vehicles for the first time last month.
- The government’s Australian Energy Update 2026 shows Australia’s total energy use fell 5% as electric vehicles, rooftop solar and growing renewable generation replace fossil fuels.
- Goodman Group has withdrawn its controversial $1.2 billion “Project Mars” data centre in Lane Cove, citing community opposition and a changing regulatory environment as resistance to AI infrastructure grows across the country.
- Sydney solar retailer Macarthur Energy has collapsed owing $3.4 million to creditors, leaving customers out of pocket by up to $17,600 for batteries never installed and raising questions about consumer protections under the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
- The federal and Tasmanian governments have announced a $200 million lifeline for Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay Aluminium smelter, backing a five-year power deal with Hydro Tasmania that secures 550 direct jobs.
- Marinus Link has begun its next construction phase with a sod-turning ceremony for the undersea interconnector between North West Tasmania and Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, with the related transmission works due in service by 2030.
News from Japan
- Paywalled: Kyushu Electric’s incoming president, Norihiro Nakamura, says the utility is considering building new nuclear capacity, as demand in the region grows from AI data centres and semiconductor hubs such as TSMC’s.
- Paywalled: TEPCO is tightening its grid connection rules to stop data centre developers holding queue spots without firm plans; from October 2026, it will cancel requests if the initial construction deposit (10% of estimated costs) isn’t paid within three months, or if development plans change during the application stage.
Podcast of the week
Zugzwang: Episode 4 – Benchmarking battery optimisers
The latest episode of Zugzwang: The market modelling podcast is now available!
Jack Simpson and Oliver Nunn are joined by Rakhesh Martyn, founder and CEO of Hachiko, to unpack how battery optimisers actually capture value.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0346ILtbXgKJJIlOy64p1i
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zugzwang/id6801348317
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ3gvq2Ccils