Battery build-out: South Australia has fast-tracked six large-scale battery projects under its Firm Energy Reliability Mechanism, lifting grid-scale storage from 1.1GW to 2.5GW (about 4,136MWh) with an estimated $2.2bn private investment, aimed at cutting heatwave-driven price spikes and boosting reliability. Grid reliability in action: Wannon Water and Enervest have completed one of Australia’s largest floating solar arrays at a Victorian reservoir, using a 500kW system to generate 600,000kWh a year and reduce energy costs tied to pumping. Data-centre power demand meets LNG: Bloomberg reports Mitsui is looking to invest in LNG across the Middle East, US and Australia to supply rising power needs from data centres and AI, including possible equity stakes and supply agreements. Hydrogen for heavy industry: Whyalla Steelworks bids have reportedly put hydrogen back in the mix, with M Resources and Hazer Group exploring gas-derived hydrogen for the industrial site. Legal heat in offshore oil: Shell has escalated its dispute over clean-up costs for the Northern Endeavour floating facility, filing again in WA Supreme Court seeking more than $83m. Geopolitics and energy prices: Markets tracked hopes for a US-Iran 60-day ceasefire extension, with oil easing but still pressured by the Strait of Hormuz remaining largely constrained.