Advisory

CQ Energy is focused on working with its clients to achieve the best commercial solutions in electricity, gas and renewable energy. Our advisory services are are backed with extensive practical experience and knowledge.

Our client focused approach leverages the expertise and knowledge of the CQ Energy practitioners to develop the optimal solution whilst also ensuring the client remains in control of the project.

The range of advisory services we have provided to our clients includes:

Strategic Advice

CQ Energy has provided strategic energy advice to governments, councils, businesses, energy retailers, electricity generators, network operators, gas pipeline owners, infrastructure investors and overseas investors.

We have assisted in the development, review and implementation of strategies and business plans. We have identified opportunities, undertaken analysis of the potential options and recommended the solutions.


Energy Procurement

We have worked with clients on energy procurement that have ranged from whole of government energy procurement and the largest corporates in Australia through to assisting small business and not-for-profit entities. Our advisory work includes:


Analysis & Modeling

We have an outstanding analysis team that supports our client's energy market activities and is capable of performing very complex analysis. The analysis we have performed includes:


Energy Trading

CQ Energy is the largest independent energy trader in Australia. All of our activities are on behalf of our clients and we do not undertaken any trading in our own right. This independence means we are well placed to provide advice surrounding energy trading trading activies. Advice we have provided to clients includes:


Mergers, Acquisitions and Project Development

CQ Energy is experienced in merger and acquisition activities including advising QIC on its successful purchase of the Moomba to Adelaide Pipeline. We have assisted on many energy project developments including conventional generation and large scale wind and solar projects. Our services have covered:


Risk Management

Our years of experience have underlined the important of risk management. This is a core capability of our business and all of our activities maintain a strong focus on ensuring risks are identified, measured and managed. Our advisory services have included:


NEM Market Participation

CQ Energy works with several National Electricity Market (NEM) participants from generators to retailers and those customers seeking wholesale purchase by becoming direct NEM Market Customers. Our approach is to understand our client’s business, their risk appetite and goals to develop a strategy for participating in the NEM. We provide regulatory advice and registration services, through management of registration with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), licencing through the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and state-based regulatory bodies such as the Essential Services Commission (ESCOSA) in addition to registration for creation of large-scale generation certificates (LGCs) through the Renewable Energy Target with the Clean Energy Regulator (CER).


Energy Efficiency

The provision of energy efficiency services has enabled our clients to optimise their energy use to meet the challenge of today’s relatively high electricity and gas prices.

We provide energy auditing services in accordance with AS/NZS 3598:2014 to assist our clients to better understand their energy use patterns and identify opportunities to reduce wastage through initiatives ranging from zero cost operational changes through to investment in plant upgrades, on site generation, LED lighting upgrades and battery storage.

We have assisted several clients secure significant grant funding through our audit and grant application services.


Demand Management

CQ Energy has worked with a number of large industrial clients in SA which include Adelaide Brighton Cement, SA Water, Onesteel, Nyrstar, Arrium and Intercast and Forge. We have assisted clients quantify the benefits and costs of utilising demand management to provide economic benefits through provision of systems, storage and embedded generation (physical hedges) to mitigate against high spot prices and reducing peak network charges (peak shaving).

We have assisted clients assess the benefits of participating in programs such as the Reliability and Emergency Reserve Trader (RERT). CQ Energy presently manages the market trading of the SA Power Networks operated emergency generators which actively participates in the RERT program.


Regulatory Matters

CQ Energy have assisted a number of regulatory bodies with market design projects and regulatory policy and framework advice. We have worked with clients to evaluate the impacts of regulatory decisions and to provide submissions the the various regulators. We have advised clients on regulatory compliance frameworks. Our projects have included:


Renewable technologies

CQ Energy also has a strong carbon and renewable technology focus and has undertaken a number of related projects for clients, including analysis, strategic portfolio advice, trading and mitigation analysis and advice.

Some of the projects undertaken in this area include:


NGER auditing