Conference Day One - Tuesday, 3 September

Go to day two Go to pre-conference masterclasses

08:00

Registration and welcome coffee

08:45

Opening remarks from the Chair

Ben Eade
Chief Executive Officer
Manufacturing Australia

Building the regulatory environment that will make net zero possible

09:00

International perspective on creating and supporting the hard-to-abate sector to achieve net zero

Accounting for the big international game-changers; the USA’s IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) and the EU’s NZIA (Net Zero Industry Act)
What is Australia's current position relative to the rest of world? What needs to change to make Australia competitive?
Defining the incentives that are most impactful in nurturing a paradigm shift in manufacturing

Sam Pearce
Partner – Asset Management
QIC Infrastructure

09:30

Reconciling trade competitiveness and climate ambition – are carbon border adjustments the next logical step? (pre-recorded message)

Reviewing long-term measures to prevent carbon leakage under the reformed Safeguard Mechanism, including options for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
Why are more measures needed despite growing global climate action?
What can we learn from other economies’ policies to prevent carbon leakage?
Could an Australian carbon border adjustment mechanism be made practical, legal and effective?

Tennant Reed
Director – Climate Change and Energy
Australian Industry Group (Ai Group)

09:50

PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the best approaches to carbon offsets, particularly in light of the Safeguard Mechanism?

What is the role of the financial sector in influencing investment and emissions strategies?
How compatible is the Safeguard Mechanism with decarbonisation timelines?
Should carbon offsets be treated as the last resort or just another tool in the net zero strategy?
Who ultimately bears the cost of compliance?

Moderator:

Sam Pearce
Partner – Asset Management
QIC Infrastructure

Panellists:

Sven Teske
Associate Professor, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures
University of Technology Sydney

Ian Campbell
Head of Sustainability & Corporate Transition
Citi

Holly Taylor
Head of Strategy and Partnerships
Energy Efficiency Council

10:30

Morning tea

Decarbonising and securing adequate renewable energy

11:00

Working with government jurisdictions and incentivising investment in renewables to fast-track the energy transition

Ensuring that there is adequate, reliable and reasonably priced electricity available for high energy users
AEMO Services’ role in the energy transition; our tender processes and what we’re hearing from the market (social licence, local content, etc)
Opportunities and benefits available to project developers and lenders to get involved in the supply of clean electric energy
Supporting the market to manage risk through a 20-year development pathway

Paul Verschuer
Executive General Manager
AEMO Services

11:30

Defining the government policies that can make biogas a low-carbon alternative to natural gas

Analysing what needs to change in order to incentivise and recognise biogas at a net zero option
Accounting for and crediting renewable gas/heat like LGCs for electricity
What are the policies and incentives required to get projects off the ground?

Michael Davis
Managing Director
Optimal Renewable Gas

12:00

Networking lunch

13:00

Aluminium refining decarbonisation pathway: Yarwun Hydrogen Calcination Pilot Demonstration Program

Building a 2.5MW on-site electrolyser
Retrofitting a calciner so that it can operate with a hydrogen burner
Demonstrating the viability of hydrogen usage in the calcination process

Sreeraj Balachandran
Manager Climate Change, Aluminium
Rio Tinto

13:30

PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the critical factors for a successful transition to renewable energy supply?

How do organisations compare PPAs, retail arrangements linked to generation projects, and behind-the-meter onsite generation?
What government policy is needed to ensure cost-competitive, low-emissions energy is available?
What incentives work to encourage a transition to renewable energy?

Moderator:

Elizabeth Ratnam
FERL Fellow and Senior Lecturer
Australian National University (ANU)

Panellists:

Michael Davis
Managing Director
Optimal Renewable Gas

Paul Verschuer
Executive General Manager
AEMO Services

Michael Brooks
Manager Energy and Carbon
South32

Karen Dobson
Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand
Dow

Remaining cost competitive on the pathway to net zero

14:10

A commitment to deliver a smooth transition: The Yallourn experience

Planning for the orderly retirement of a coal-fired power station
Developing leading employee support programs based on worker’s preferred future pathway
Optimising industrial sites for net zero industrial reuse

Lisa Gooding
Yallourn Transition Leader
EnergyAustralia

14:40

Viewing the costs of net zero transformation as ‘investment’ rather than expenditure

Building a workable plan to achieve net zero emissions in the high emissions sector
Importance of collaboration and engagement between stakeholders
Defining the incentives that will make investing in low emission processes/technology worthwhile

Simon Prebble
Manager, Electric Mine Consortium
State of Play

15:10

Afternoon tea

The transformative impact of energy efficiency

15:40

How energy providers and large businesses need to work collaboratively to lower energy consumption to meet environmental targets and responsibilities

An overview of how Origin Energy is delivering on their 2030 targets
Moving from assessment to action – how Origin is partnering with large businesses to establish a clear pathway to reduce operating costs, unlock new revenue streams and improve energy efficiency
Achieving sustainability goals with demonstrable value for money

Liam McWhirter
General Manager, Business Development & Advisory
Origin Zero

16:10

PANEL DISCUSSION: What are the most promising energy efficiency technologies?

How do we ensure that older/ less ‘sexy’ advances and technologies (eg recycling or heat pumps) remain part of the decarbonisation toolkit?
Where are the information resources to figure out which ones to use?
How should energy efficiency technologies be implemented and maintained so that they continue to work?

Moderator:

Rebecca Irwin
Sustainability consultant