Shell Energy Australia

Shell Energy Australia provides gas, electricity, environmental products and energy productivity services to commercial and industrial customers.

Shell Energy Australia
FormerlyERM Power
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEnergy
Founded1980; 44 years ago (1980)
FounderTrevor St Baker
Headquarters,
Australia
Area served
Australia
Key people
Greg Joiner (CEO)
Number of employees
350
ParentShell Australia
Websiteshellenergy.com.au

History

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Former ERM Power logo

ERM Power was founded by Trevor St Baker as a specialist Australian energy advisory firm in 1980. The company transformed into a power development company in the mid-1990s to capture opportunities arising from the deregulation of the Australian electricity industry.[1] In 2007 the company diversified into electricity retailing in response to further privatisation and vertical integration of the Australian energy industry.[1] ERM Power listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on 10 December 2010.[2] It launched the ERM Business Energy brand in 2012, commenced retailing to the small and medium enterprise (SME) market in 2013 and entered the U.S. retail electricity market by acquiring Source Power & Gas headquartered in Texas in 2015.[3]

Shell Australia acquired ERM Power in November 2019 with the company delisted from the ASX.[4][5][6] ERM Power was rebranded as Shell Energy in February 2021.[7][8]

Core business

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Shell Energy retails electricity to large commercial and industrial energy users in Australia (except for Northern Territory) and gas to commercial and industrial energy users in New South Wales and Victoria.[9] Shell Energy owns two gas-fired peaking power stations in Darling Downs, Queensland, and Neerabup, Western Australia, and is developing a 120-megawatt solar energy development in Queensland.[10]

In February 2022 Shell Energy acquired residential energy retailer Powershop Australia.[11][12]

Projects in development

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Gangarri Solar Development, a 120-megawatt solar energy development, located in inland Queensland.[13] Gangarri will generate solar power from about 330,000 photovoltaic panels that turn sunlight into electricity – enough to run 50,000 homes. It will reduce emissions by around 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.[14]

In January 2023 Shell Energy acquired the development rights for a 500MW/1000MWh Battery Energy Storage System project, located within the former Wallerawang Power Station site near Lithgow.[15][16][17]

In October 2022 the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced $9.1 million in funding to Shell Energy to implement load control across at least 40 commercial and industrial customer sites to demonstrate flexible demand capacity.[18][19]

In October 2022 Shell Energy announced it would jointly develop one of the largest energy storage projects in NSW, partnering with AMPYR Australia on a 500MW/1000MWh battery located in Wellington.[20][21][22]

Also in October 2022, Shell Energy entered into a 50/50 joint partnership with Foresight Group to acquire Kondinin Energy. This acquisition was Shell’s first Western Australian renewables development – and first Western Australian wind project. The Kondinin Energy project is located approximately 245 km east of Perth and comprises various stages of 370MW of developments across wind, solar and battery energy storage system assets.[23][24][25][26]

In May 2021 the Government of New South Wales announced that Shell Energy and Edify Energy had been awarded a 10-year contract, including a 60MW/120MWh retail contract coupled with a 100-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).[27][28] The project has been dubbed the 'Riverina Energy Storage System (RESS)' and will be built alongside Edify's 333MW Darlington Point Solar Farm. The NSW Government noted that the RESS would help to mitigate the region's energy supply concerns due to the planned closure of the coal-powered Liddell Power Station in 2023.[29]

Generation

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Shell Energy operates Oakey Power Station, a 332-megawatt peaking power station located at Oakey in Queensland, and Neerabup Power Station, a 330-megawatt peaking power station in Western Australia which opened in 2009 at a cost of $435 million.[30][31]

Net-zero ambitions

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Shell's target is to become a net zero emissions energy business by 2050, in step with society's progress in achieving the goal of the UN Paris Agreement on climate change.[32] As part of this commitment, ERM Power secured funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to help manufacturing businesses in Queensland understand what is required to make the switch to clean energy. Its $600,000 programme included $250,000 in ARENA funding.[33] In October 2022, ARENA announced $9.1 million in funding to Shell Energy as part of the $31.6 million ‘Commercialising Smart Energy Hubs’ project. Shell Energy will implement load control across at least 40 commercial and industrial sites in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to demonstrate an estimated 21.5 MW of flexible demand capacity.[34]

References

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  1. ^ a b Prospectus ERM Power 17 November 2010
  2. ^ Commencement of Official Quotation - ERM Power Limited Australian Securities Exchange 10 December 2010
  3. ^ Our story ERM Power
  4. ^ Shell strikes $617m deal to acquire ERM Power Australian Financial Review 22 August 2019
  5. ^ ERM Power Limited - Removal from Official List Australian Securities Exchange 2 December 2019
  6. ^ ERM Power Shareholders Vote in Favour of Scheme of Arrangement ERM Power 8 November 2019
  7. ^ ERM Power – now Shell Energy – again ranked No 1 for customer satisfaction Shell Energy 17 February 2021
  8. ^ Notice of 2021 AGM and Shell Energy Transition Strategy Global NewsWire 15 April 2021
  9. ^ "Shell commits to gas in Australia". Oil & Gas Today. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. ^ Staff Writers (2 October 2020) "Shell Australia to build 120-MW solar farm next to gas-fired power plant". Retrieved 3 June 2021
  11. ^ Shell increases stake in Australia’s electricity market with Powershop takeover The Guardian 22 November 2021
  12. ^ Sophie Vorrath (22 November 2021) "Shell snaps up Powershop to accelerate challenge to big energy retail incumbents" Renew Economy. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  13. ^ Macdonald-Smith, Angela (7 February 2020) "Shell commits to solar project in Queensland" Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 3 June 2021
  14. ^ Hartmann, Imogen (10 February 2020) "Shell merges gas and solar with new project" Energymagazine. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. ^ Luwela R. (11 January 2023) "Shell Energy to build, own, and operate the Wallerawang 9 Battery" Australian Resources. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  16. ^ Staff Writer (16 January 2023) "Shell’s 500MW/1,000MWh Battery Storage Project At Former Coal Power Station In NSW" Energy Matters. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  17. ^ Tess Macallan (11 January 2023) "Shell Energy to build Battery Energy Storage System near Lithgow" Utility Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  18. ^ ARENA (14 October 2022) "Unlocking flexible demand at commercial and industrial sites". Retrieved 16 February 2022
  19. ^ ARENA (7 February 2023) "Shell Energy Smart Energy Hubs Deployment Project". Retrieved 16 February 2022
  20. ^ Hannah Page (16 October 2022) "NSW charges up clean energy future" Australian Property Journal. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  21. ^ Eulalie Montagut (16 October 2022) "Shell Energy Expands Australian Portfolio" Energy News. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  22. ^ Sophie Vorrath (14 October 2022) "Shell JV unveils plan for “one of the biggest” big batteries in NSW" Renew Economy. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  23. ^ Angela Macdonald-Smith (13 October 2022) "Shell, Foresight in $700m WA renewables push" Financial Review. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  24. ^ Emma Musgrave (9 November 2022) "Shell Energy and Foresight Group acquire WA project" LawyersWeekly. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  25. ^ Sophie Vorrath (13 October 2022) "WA wind, solar and battery project snapped up by Shell and Foresight JV" Renew Economy. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  26. ^ Jonathan Tourino Jacobo (17 October 2022) "Foresight, Shell form joint venture to acquire 370MW renewables project in Australia" PVTech. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  27. ^ Kean, Matt "Big Battery to help power NSW Schools and Hospitals" Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  28. ^ Giles Parkinson & Sophie Vorrath (25 May 2021) "Shell and Edify in landmark big battery storage deal in NSW" Renew Economy. Retrieved 16 February 2022
  29. ^ Lewis, Josh (25 May 2021) "Shell teams up with Edify in $2.5 billion Australian battery deal". Retrieved 3 June 2021
  30. ^ McHugh, Babs (4 December 2009) "Neerabup gas fired power station powers up in WA" ABC News. Retrieved 3 June 2021
  31. ^ Burke, Jack (22 August 2019) "Shell Moves Into Power Generation" Diesel, Gas, Turbine. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  32. ^ Bousso, Ron and Nasralla, Shadia (11 February 2021) "With oil past peak, Shell sharpens 2050 zero emissions goal" Reuters Retrieved 3 June 2021
  33. ^ Nhede, Nicolas (20 October 2020) "Shell Energy Australia simplifies energy transition for manufacturing businesses" Retrieved 3 June 2021
  34. ^ ARENA (14 October 2022) "Unlocking flexible demand at commercial and industrial sites" Retrieved 16 February 2022
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