According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP has put more money into efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of steelmaking, this time by taking a shareholding in a small US company called Boston Metal.
BHP put an undisclosed sum, understood to be close to $US10 million ($13 million), into the $US50 million raising conducted by Boston Metal last week.
The funds will help the private company accelerate its molten oxide electrolysis technology, which is seen as a stepping stone to the production of emissions-free steel.
Emissions from steelmakers mean iron ore miners such as BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals have very large "scope 3" emissions, regardless of whether they sell coal.
BHP and Rio have expressed a desire to reduce their scope 3 emissions footprint, with both companies announcing partnerships with China's biggest steelmaker, Baowu, on projects to reduce the emissions at its steel mills.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/bhp-ventures-further-into-steel-decarbonisation-20210112-p56tkk

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp6321090.html?lang=ja 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Mitsui of Japan has confirmed that the Japanese trading house and the Kerry Stokes-backed Beach Energy will proceed with their Waitsia Stage 2 onshore gas project in Western Australia's mid-west.
Mitsui said in a statement the Waitsia Joint Venture (WJV) , which will cost $768 million and produce about 250 terajoules of natural gas a day, had received the crucial final investment decision from the partners recently.
Beach will contribute $350 – 400 million from its existing cash flows and facilities, the company told the Australian Stock Exchange.
The start of production from the Stage 2 development is planned in the second half of 2023.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/mitsui-beach-ink-waitsia-stage-2-gas-project-20201223-p56pvi

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/4409542.html
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According to The Australian Financial Review, mining and energy investment in Australia is likely to rise for the second consecutive year in 2021, marking a decisive turning point after a long, steep decline that set in after the resources boom peaked nearly a decade ago.
The Department of Industry said an ''inflection point'' in resources sector investment had been reached when $30 billion of projects were approved in 2019, with the value of committed projects rising to $39 billion in the year to October 2020.
New iron ore mines under construction by BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals Group were a big factor in the rise, along with Adani's construction of the Carmichael mine and Arrow Energy's gas investment in Queensland's Surat Basin.
The surge in investment may have been bigger had it not been for the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic, which prompted resources companies to defer billions of dollars worth of project decisions.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/resources-sector-investment-rebounds-20201120-p56gf8

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www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6375125.html?lang=ja 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP has created an internal ''venture capital'' division to make seed investments in early-stage technology companies and start-ups, as part of chief executive Mike Henry's desire to drive innovation across the multinational mining company.
Expected to be dubbed "BHP Ventures", the division will make and manage a portfolio of minority shareholdings in technology companies whose intellectual property could be deployed across BHP's mines and oil rigs.
BHP has hired for the ventures unit across Australia and the US this year, and the new team has been urged to prioritise investments in technology that could boost safety, productivity and operating efficiency at BHP's sites.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/bhp-s-in-house-venture-capital-push-20201116-p56f1d

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp4468492.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Geelong will host one of the world's largest batteries. Victorian energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the storage project, to be developed and owned by French player Neoen and located at a critical juncture on the grid, would improve reliability of supply and keep a cap on power prices as coal power plants shut down.
The government will pay $84 million over 11 years for the use of 250 megawatts of the battery's capacity to enable increased transmission over the Victoria-NSW interconnector during summer months, starting in 2021-22. It cited independent analysis which found that every dollar invested in the battery will deliver more than $2 of benefits to Victorian homes and businesses.
But the full costs remain unclear and the Australian Energy Council, which represents electricity and gas suppliers, labelled the state's intervention in the market as "retrograde".

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/victoria-to-grab-biggest-battery-title-20201105-p56bsb

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1097633.html?lang=ja 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, South Australia's push to establish itself as a national export hub for green hydrogen was given a boost on Thursday, with the Marshall government announcing $37 million to upgrade export infrastructure.
The new investment will be included in Tuesday's state budget, and is part of the $240 million Eyre Peninsula Gateway Hydrogen Project being developed by Australian company Hydrogen Utility (H2U).
Under the first phase of the project – the demonstrator phase – H2U will develop a 75 megawatt electrolysis plant and an ammonia production facility, with an annual capacity of 40,000 tonnes.
The facility will supply the South Australian and domestic market, and support trial export shipments of green hydrogen and green ammonia to Japan and other North Asian economies.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/sa-makes-strategic-investment-for-green-hydrogen-future-20201105-p56bpg

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3214649.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Japan's commitment to speed up its journey to net-zero carbon emissions by 10 years should accelerate the emerging trend towards carbon-neutral LNG shipments as well as put hydrogen exports on a fast-track, according to Australia's gas exporters.
The pledge announced by new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 "will drive innovation to accelerate zero-emissions LNG and also zero-emissions hydrogen products in the market," Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher told The Australian Financial Review.
Santos examining a project tied to its CCS venture. Woodside has linked up with several partners to explore different elements in the hydrogen supply chain, including joining three Japanese companies to examine large-scale exports of hydrogen as ammonia, which can be blended with coal in power generation to reduce emissions.
When announcing the Japanese link-up on hydrogen in April, Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman said he expected to see large-scale hydrogen production around the world by 2030, which Woodside intended to be part of.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/japan-net-zero-pledge-to-spur-carbon-free-hydrogen-lng-20201028-p5699t

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/lng3318793.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australia's solar power boom sent records tumbling across three states for low demand for grid-based power in the September quarter, including one hour in South Australia where solar power fuelled the entirety of the state's electricity needs.
The Australian Energy Market Operator reported that South Australia recorded a first for any major jurisdiction globally between midday and 1pm on Sunday October 11 when it was wholly run on solar power. Rooftop solar panels contributed 77 per cent of the total, providing 992 megawatts, while large-scale solar provided 313MW.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/south-australia-records-100pc-solar-in-world-first-20201021-p567al

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1004261281.html?lang=ja
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Tesla is in talks with BHP on a nickel deal as the electric car maker targets higher production and seeks to avoid a supply crunch, people familiar with the matter say.
Talks are held up on pricing, and no final agreement has been reached so far between the automaker and BHP, the world’s largest miner, said one of the people, requesting anonymity because the talks are private. The discussions come as Tesla works to raise the amount of the metal used in vehicle batteries to improve performance, and as it makes a push into in house cell production.
Nickel is a key component for the cathodes of electric vehicle batteries, and chief executive Elon Musk has expressed concern about supply because of challenges in sustainable sourcing.

https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/tesla-in-talks-with-bhp-over-nickel-supply-pact-20201007-p562s3

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https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp3858404.html 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has moved to boost her mining credentials ahead of next month's state election by giving the green light to a new $1 billion coal mine in Central Queensland.
After Labor suffered a humiliating defeat in last year's federal election by avoiding supporting Adani's controversial $3 billion Carmichael mine, the Palaszczuk government has moved to embrace coal again, announcing it had approved the mining lease for Pembroke Resources' Olive Downs metallurgical coal mine.
The 15 million tonnes-a-year mine, 40 kilometres south-east of Moranbah, is slightly bigger than Adani's 10 million tonnes-a-year coal mine, but is not as politically sensitive given it is coking coal which is used for making steel, rather than thermal coal used for burning in power stations.
Ms Palaszczuk said the approval for the Olive Downs mine, which will deliver 500 construction jobs and 1000 workers when it opens in 2022, was part of $21 billion in new resources investment in Queensland and 8000 new jobs over the past five years.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/palaszczuk-government-approves-new-1b-coal-mine-20200929-p560cr

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3223510.html?lang=ja 
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