Grok Ventures to escalate pressure for earlier coal station closures

In a statement on Wednesday, Cannon-Brookes’ privately owned Grok Ventures said it had sold down its stake in AGL to free up its ability to boost spending on other climate technology and renewable investments. But it said it would remain AGL’s biggest shareholder, owning 10.41 per cent of the company and intends to escalate pressure on the Australian power giant to close its two remaining coal-fired power stations earlier than planned.

Independent MP Allegra Spender says Labor must act to set out a clear road map for ending residential gas use across the country, with a group of independents meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday to hear from energy policy experts about how the country could wean households off the fossil fuel. This comes amidst new modelling from the Grattan Institute that shows tens of thousands of new homes are still being hooked up to gas every year despite the need to end the use of gas to meet climate deadlines.

A 22 year old protester has become the sixth person charged this week after suspending himself on a 9-metre pole over railway tracks in Branxton, west of Newcastle, in the early hours of Wednesday morning as part of Blockade Australia’s ongoing protests. The aim of the protest was to stop the supply line from the Hunter Valley into the Newcastle coal port, with Mr Hearn halting the track for five hours.

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Billionaire Cannon-Brookes keeps the heat on AGL to hasten coal exit
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