Latest news with #ErgonEnergy
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Drivers urged to 'keep an eye' out for common scene above Aussie roads
Drivers have been urged to be aware of their surroundings and "keep an eye" out for anything out of the ordinary on our roads after an emergency crew was called out to save a baby bat. Wildlife rescuers told Yahoo News drivers play a critical role in saving wildlife in strife along Aussie roads after one "vigilant" community member spotted the tiny flying fox hanging from powerlines near Townsville in north Queensland. Animals being caught on power lines is a common sight, with a similar scene happening in the same area just last month, and earlier this year a pelican was seen hanging from a street light on a busy highway. Energy company Ergon scrambled to save the tiny animal earlier this week from the high wires on a road in the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale. They went "above and beyond" to get the little one down safely and into care. "Keep an eye on any strange thing hanging off powerlines and report it [as soon as possible]," a spokesperson for NQ Wildlife Care told Yahoo News. "Sometimes it's a baby like this one, sometimes it's a dead mum with a live baby that will need to be rescued. But also drive safely and keep their eyes on the road." 😢 Tragic scene on Aussie roadside prompts urgent plea 🦅 'Thoughtless' act at tourist hotspot called out by furious locals 🐬 Fishing line in the spotlight as photos reveal sad reality Wildlife carers explained that mother flying foxes can sometimes leave their young when they fly off at night to feed, but if the babies are too heavy, they can be left behind. "But sometimes they don't [collect them]," carers said. Carers speculated it could be that the mothers can't find their babies again after leaving them. "It would be hard to find such a little speck in the dark," they said. '"At least this one was lucky and was found in time before a predator got to him." Despite the mishap, the tiny animal now named Jamie is doing "really well". Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Origin Energy introduces electricity competition to regional Queensland
An energy provider says it will move into six regional Queensland cities to introduce competition, potentially lowering power bills. Sydney-based Origin Energy will offer electricity plans to residents in Townsville, Cairns, Toowoomba, Mackay, Bundaberg and Maryborough, areas traditionally monopolised by the state government's Ergon Energy. But households with solar will be left out of the plan. Solar not included Queensland has the highest rate of household solar installation in any Australian state or territory, with more than one in three Queensland homes hosting solar panels. More than a third of Queensland households have solar. ( ABC News: Glyn Jones ) Origin Energy's general manager of consumer, property and retail, Duncan Permezel, said the company was not offering plans for solar households because it was still working with the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) on solar tariff pricing. "Hopefully we'll see a solar offer being made available soon," he said. "But that will take some time to work through with the QCA and the Queensland government." New player in the market Ergon Energy operates as the distributor in rural and regional Queensland, transporting electricity from powerlines, underground channels and wires to customers. Profit results from AGL and Origin have prompted calls for more to be done to reduce electricity and gas prices. Electricity retailers, such as Origin Energy, purchase electricity from the wholesale market and sell it to homes and businesses. The number of retailers has grown in south-east Queensland, but Ergon Energy has remained the only option for regional customers. To offset price gouging, the Queensland government pays a Community Service Obligation to its own company, Ergon Energy, of $600 million to ensure regional customers pay the same regulated prices as consumers in south-east Queensland. This subsidy makes it hard for other energy retailers to compete with Ergon Energy's subsidised prices. Mr Permezel said this was why the company was initially offering limited products. "We think we can offer electricity and other value adds to consumers, but we would love to see that subsidy extend so that we can offer more services and talk to the full region," he said. Shaking up the monopoly Central Queensland University resource economist John Rolfe said competition could benefit consumers and had worked in other states. Origin Energy is shaking up regional Queensland's electricity market. ( ABC News: Matt Roberts ) "Competition is a wonderful thing in terms of helping customers to have a little bit of choice and finding options that suit," he said. "Competition helps to provide some confidence to customers that they are getting reasonable deals because they can then shop around and compare prices from alternate suppliers." Professor Rolfe said a monopoly — where one operator sold to the whole market — would usually lead to higher prices, but government subsidies had avoided that. Photo shows Collage of electricity bill behind a green mountain with powerlines on orange background. We take a closer look at the average power bill to see which sections Australians should be keeping an eye on or asking questions about. While Origin will not have access to subsidies, it will not have the contractual Community Service Obligation to service all customers like Ergon Energy does. "They've [Origin Energy] focused on the bigger regional centres … so it's probably relatively low cost for them to roll out to these extra cities and they've obviously done the sums and think it's worthwhile," Professor Rolfe said. "Whether they get a big enough customer base coming across to them to make it really remains to be seen." Professor Rolfe said if Ergon Energy lost a high percentage of customers, it would impact its revenue. "The quid pro quo is that it's going to increase the cost for Ergon and make it harder for them to maintain that uniform tariff/customer service obligation," Professor Rolfe said. "So, it will increase their overall cost base and reduce their revenue." ABC Capricornia — local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Friday Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
The Age
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane news live: Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland
Latest posts Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland Homes and businesses across Queensland will pay more in their electricity bills to maintain and upgrade power lines after the state's network operators were cleared to raise the maximum revenue they can recoup from consumers. The Australian Energy Regulator on Wednesday signed off on a 47 per cent increase in the revenue that south-east Queensland's network operator, Energex, can charge between 2025-30 due to higher inflation adding to the cost of delivering reliable and secure power supplies. Loading Ergon Energy, spanning north, central and the rest of southern Queensland, will be able to recoup revenues 42 per cent higher than the previous five-year period. For Queensland households, the increases would add about $48 a year to a typical power bill, the regulator said. The state's small business customers, meanwhile, would pay an extra $97 a year on average. Australian Energy Regulator chair Clare Savage said the final decisions sought to strike a balance between affordability and the investment needed to meet the long-term needs of consumers. 'Cost-of-living pressures and affordability concerns continue to be front of mind for households and small businesses,' she said. 'We have rigorously scrutinised both Energex and Ergon Energy's proposed expenditures to ensure consumers pay no more than necessary for a safe and reliable power supply, while enabling businesses to address important emerging issues such as network cybersecurity, mitigating the risks of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and integration of consumer energy resources.' 7.20am A sunny day to start May This might be the last of the sunny days for Brisbane this week, with showers on the horizon and the city predicted to be fairly wet at the weekend. But for today, a clear day is forecast, with a cool top of 25 degrees. Here's a breakdown, with what to expect in the days ahead. While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Peter Dutton has led 'one of the worst election campaigns in living memory', political commentator Niki Savva writes today. 'If complacency wasn't responsible, it had to be stubbornness or incompetence. Maybe a combination of the three. Dutton lacked the desire, the strength, the confidence and the judgment to forge a path back to the centre after the debacle of the 2022 election.' Accused triple killer Erin Patterson has admitted foraging for mushrooms, lying about having cancer, getting rid of a food dehydrator in panic and not telling police the truth after her elderly lunch guests fell critically ill. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the US, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,' but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war. Australian packaging magnate Anthony Pratt, whom Donald Trump once branded a 'red-haired weirdo', has pledged to invest billions of dollars in American manufacturing as he visits the US president at the White House.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-04-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane news live: Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland
Latest posts Regulator approves higher electricity charges in Queensland Homes and businesses across Queensland will pay more in their electricity bills to maintain and upgrade power lines after the state's network operators were cleared to raise the maximum revenue they can recoup from consumers. The Australian Energy Regulator on Wednesday signed off on a 47 per cent increase in the revenue that south-east Queensland's network operator, Energex, can charge between 2025-30 due to higher inflation adding to the cost of delivering reliable and secure power supplies. Loading Ergon Energy, spanning north, central and the rest of southern Queensland, will be able to recoup revenues 42 per cent higher than the previous five-year period. For Queensland households, the increases would add about $48 a year to a typical power bill, the regulator said. The state's small business customers, meanwhile, would pay an extra $97 a year on average. Australian Energy Regulator chair Clare Savage said the final decisions sought to strike a balance between affordability and the investment needed to meet the long-term needs of consumers. 'Cost-of-living pressures and affordability concerns continue to be front of mind for households and small businesses,' she said. 'We have rigorously scrutinised both Energex and Ergon Energy's proposed expenditures to ensure consumers pay no more than necessary for a safe and reliable power supply, while enabling businesses to address important emerging issues such as network cybersecurity, mitigating the risks of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and integration of consumer energy resources.' 7.20am A sunny day to start May This might be the last of the sunny days for Brisbane this week, with showers on the horizon and the city predicted to be fairly wet at the weekend. But for today, a clear day is forecast, with a cool top of 25 degrees. Here's a breakdown, with what to expect in the days ahead. While you were sleeping Here's what's making news further afield this morning: Peter Dutton has led 'one of the worst election campaigns in living memory', political commentator Niki Savva writes today. 'If complacency wasn't responsible, it had to be stubbornness or incompetence. Maybe a combination of the three. Dutton lacked the desire, the strength, the confidence and the judgment to forge a path back to the centre after the debacle of the 2022 election.' Accused triple killer Erin Patterson has admitted foraging for mushrooms, lying about having cancer, getting rid of a food dehydrator in panic and not telling police the truth after her elderly lunch guests fell critically ill. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the US, saying American kids might 'have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,' but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war. Australian packaging magnate Anthony Pratt, whom Donald Trump once branded a 'red-haired weirdo', has pledged to invest billions of dollars in American manufacturing as he visits the US president at the White House.
