Category: Community

Andrew Broadbent on working in CS Energy’s Future Energy division 

Andrew joined CS Energy in 2016 and has since worked in a range of finance and strategy roles throughout the business.  

The Senior Strategy Analyst is excited to be moving into the Future Energy division on a six-month secondment to support CS Energy’s pipeline of future energy initiatives. It’s a natural progression for Andrew after his most recent role was analysing the impact of energy market and policy trends on the business.  

When asked about what he’s most looking forward to in the new role, Andrew says, “there’s a lot of activity across the division and I’m keen to be an extra pair of hands and putting the company’s Strategic Priority to ‘Deliver Future Energy’ into action. 

“I’m also excited to leverage the strategic experience from my previous role to help engage and excite our people about CS Energy’s journey in becoming a diversified energy business.” 

Andrew will be progressing current and emerging business opportunities and working closely with the Policy and Regulation team to assist with CS Energy’s responses to various submissions as the policy framework evolves with the energy transition. 

He says he looks forward to deepening his knowledge about, and keep on top of changes happening in, the energy landscape, particularly as the momentum and pace of the energy transition gains pace. 

When talking about the impact of market trends he says, “there is so much activity occurring in the energy landscape, which has a broad scope and is incredibly interrelated. The traditional energy value chain of generation ️to transmission to retailing has become scrambled as the energy transition continues to unfold. 

“For example, the rapid uptake of rooftop solar has given rise to the ‘Prosumer’ where customers are both a producer and consumer of energy, increasing customer engagement in their energy procurement while creating a two-way flow of electrons. Therefore, anticipating or predicting what could have the biggest impact is challenging as the pace that technology is deployed directly relates to how fast costs decline.” 

Andrew says what he finds most interesting about the energy sector is how despite the fact that energy is an essential service, not everyone inherently understands the complexity and processes behind being able to turn on a light switch at home.  

Learn more about how CS Energy is responding to Australia’s energy transformation: https://www.csenergy.com.au/who-we-are/our-strategy  

Charged up for the future: Affordability and choice will accelerate the energy shift

CS Energy’s Principal Consultant Commercial & Future Energy, Stephen Hoult, discusses how renewable energy solutions are supporting lower power prices for consumers and creating increased choice into the future.

The speed with which the world is transitioning to cleaner energy has surprised even industry experts like Stephen Hoult.

New technologies, such as electric vehicles, are growing in popularity, and as affordability and choice improves, individual consumers and corporates are shifting gear to an electric future, Stephen says.

“More and more organisations are dipping their toes in the water to become familiar with electric vehicle (EV) technology.

“Government fleet customers, in particular, have been early adopters when it comes to adding  EVs to their fleets, facilitating investment in both vehicles and infrastructure throughout their portfolios including at TAFEs and hospitals.

“As EVs become more affordable and the range of vehicles increases, the transition will gain pace both at the consumer and corporate levels.”

CS Energy offers EV charging infrastructure for large commercial and industrial customers in Queensland. The move into EV charging is part of CS Energy’s strategy to become a diversified energy company, with renewable energy offtakes and a green hydrogen demonstration project part of its shift to customer-focused energy solutions.

Stephen has been part of the CS Energy team for more than 10 years, working in energy trading, policy, and regulatory leadership roles before joining the Future Energy team.

“I have always had a strong interest in everything to do with the electricity industry and power generation, and CS Energy is the perfect place to work because it has generation assets, projects, and a stimulating work environment.”

Stephen sees the role of Future Energy as key to Queensland transitioning to a more sustainable future, while still providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy for today’s consumers.

“Customers are increasingly wanting renewable energy sources included in the electricity supply products we offer. Modern energy providers must be innovative and nimble to design and tailor products that suit these customer requirements.

“It’s exciting that the company is investing in these progressive, future-looking projects and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Learn more about CS Energy’s renewable energy offerings to customers here or follow CS Energy on LinkedIn

Creating energy solutions for every business challenge

As Head of Future Energy at CS Energy, Brooks Mustey understands that every business has unique energy requirements.

“More and more large energy users are wanting to decarbonise their operations,” Brooks said. “But they are often trying to achieve this against a backdrop of challenges specific to their business.”

With a background in procurement and experience across multiple industry sectors, Brooks thrives on problem-solving in a commercial environment.

“My focus is always to seek to understand first, and then develop a solution. Ultimately, we want to empower businesses to better manage their energy needs.”

Brooks joined CS Energy in 2019 after working in the resources, raw materials and energy sectors.

“CS Energy is a company in the midst of a transformation and this really appealed to me. Leveraging our existing operations and workforce while at the same time creating pathways to new products, assets, partnerships and technology to become a future-focused diversified energy business is really inspiring.”

In the last two years CS Energy has significantly grown its share of the large commercial and industrial retail market, and has invested in renewable energy offtakes, electric vehicle charging and renewable hydrogen.

“The pace of change in the past decade has been extraordinary, and it is really being driven by the community and by energy customers demanding energy that is not only reliable and affordable, but sustainable,” Brooks said.

“Our Kogan Renewable Hydrogen Demonstration Project is a great example of this, where we are investing and partnering for the long-term in renewable energy sources to power our economy into the next century and beyond. We’re also exploring the potential of utility-scale batteries.

“It’s exciting to be at the forefront of this shift and to be part of a team that is genuinely focused on pursuing creative solutions.”

Brooks said a key priority as CS Energy transforms is upskilling its employees and building partnerships with specialist businesses and local communities. One example of this is the hydrogen skills mapping partnership with Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise.

“There is a great appetite for change, and CS Energy is taking a leading role as a Queensland Government owned business.”

Follow CS Energy on LinkedIn to learn more.

Navigating an industry transformation with a clear strategy

CS Energy’s Head of Strategy and Planning Yatra Forudi is optimistic about the future, and the role that young people keen to work in the industry will play in responding to the challenges of climate change and a decarbonised global economy.

Yatra’s role in Strategy and Planning involves understanding where energy markets are headed and determining CS Energy’s strategic response to those fast-paced changes. Yatra believes that for young people considering their career options, the sector provides enormous opportunity to drive meaningful change towards a cleaner future.

“Utilities in the 2020s and beyond will be a fast-paced sector, as the energy sector decarbonises, led by customer requirements and digital advancement. A career in utilities provides the unique opportunity to experience this transformation first-hand and play a part in it, regardless of whether your role is technical, field or office-based ,” Yatra said.

Yatra admits people are often surprised when they hear about the innovation that companies like CS Energy are driving , and how advanced the sector is on its decarbonisation journey.

“Utilities, including companies like CS Energy, are innovating every day to provide essential services in a rapidly changing energy landscape. While I was familiar with this change, what surprised me was the fast pace at which utilities are continually adapting their day-to-day energy dispatch, maintenance and financial decisions in the face of a changing energy grid.”

“For those considering a career in the utilities sector, I would encourage them to think about where the sector is right now and importantly, where it is going to be in the next few years and beyond, and to become familiar with the many different pathways that can give you the flexibility to progress with the industry’s transition.”

Yatra is optimistic about the role CS Energy is playing in supporting the Queensland Government to transition towards a low carbon future.

“CS Energy has helped facilitate renewable energy development in Queensland through offtake agreements and we work to continuously improve our environmental management practices. We’re also an active member of our local communities, providing sponsorship to not-for-profits and support measures during COVID-19. ”

“CS Energy is committed to the Queensland Government’s energy transformation objectives, and I am excited to be part of this journey towards a more sustainable Queensland”.

20 JAN 2021

CS Energy will defend a class action lodged by a law firm and funded by corporate backers.

CS Energy Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bills said CS Energy rejected the claims being made and said the company operated in strict accordance with, and took very seriously, its obligations with all rules and regulations in the National Electricity Market.

“CS Energy is strongly committed to complying with all market rules and regulations and we’ve dedicated substantial resources to ensuring we meet our obligations,” Mr Bills said.

“Our bidding activity is regulated under the National Electricity Law and the National Electricity Rules by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER).

“We have one of the most highly regulated and competitive electricity markets in the world, with prices set every five minutes.”

The AER investigates and publicly reports on the causes of all high-price events in the wholesale electricity market.

Previous investigations have found high wholesale prices to be due to a wide range of influencing factors, including extreme weather fluctuations.

Queenslanders should question who will benefit from a claim like this – is it Queenslanders or a corporate litigation funder whose main interest is making a return on their investment in class actions?

As a Queensland-based and publicly owned Queensland business, the proposed class action is pursuing the revenues that we return to the state which are used to fund important services for all Queenslanders.

Mr Bills said CS Energy owned two of the most efficient coal-fired power stations in the country, providing affordable and reliable baseload power to millions of Queensland businesses and residents.

“We have a proud track record of delivering increased competition and savings for electricity consumers in South East Queensland through our joint venture with Alinta Energy, as reported by the Australian Energy Market Commission.”

Publicly available data shows that Queensland has had the lowest average wholesale electricity prices in the National Electricity Market for the past three years.

Earlier this month we published our annual Energy Charter Disclosure report, which outlines the work we’ve been doing to ensure we are as consumer-centric as possible, in line with the Australian Energy Charter.

This business-led charter, which counts 19 Australian energy companies as members, guides our progress toward becoming a more community and consumer-focused business, and this year’s report outlines steps we’ve taken to better understand our customers’ needs. We are proud to have either delivered on, or made progress against all areas of improvement we identified in our 2019 report.

We measured this by conducting our first independent customer survey and we’re already taking steps to give our customers the innovative energy solutions they’re asking for, such as electric vehicle charging stations and improved billing and information systems.

We are proud to have doubled the number of commercial and industrial retail customers we serve across Queensland while recording our safest year on record. We are committed to continuing to safely and efficiently provide best-in-class innovation and services as we become a diversified energy company.

This is a long-term commitment for CS Energy and is being driven from our senior levels of management. We look forward to growing even closer to our customers and stakeholders in the coming years.

You can download our 2020 Energy Charter Disclosure Report. (PDF 1.5MB)