Patrick Gibbons

Patrick Gibbons is the energy and resources adviser in the Premier's Office in Victoria. He commenced in this position as the most senior energy advisor for Ted Baillieu's government in May 2011.

Immediately prior to commencing work in the Premier's Office Gibbons had worked as the Regulatory Policy Manager for International Power Australia, the owner of the Hazelwood Power Station, the Hazelwood mine and the Loy Yang B Power Station.

Age journalist Melissa Fyfe cited an anonymouse "source familiar with Victoria's energy sector" who stated of Gibbons that "he's been trying to sandbag International Power against any sort of climate policy. Now he's in government he can have a more active role."

Prior to working for International Power Gibbons worked as corporate affairs manager for Alcoa and prior to that as the Executive Director at Energy Retailers Association of Australia.

=Submission on CCS regulation== In a submission to the Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill 2008, Gibbons argued that that Carbon Capture and Storage "will be critical to the long term future of the Latrobe Valley's brown coal based electricity production in a carbon constrained world provided the design of the emissions trading scheme is conducive to its development."

The company also cautioned that "depending on the details of the emission trajectory and the pace at which the new emission charge is introduced, it could cause a retreat from brown coal being used as a main fuel source." The alternative, it warned, would be the use of gas which it claimed there was a "finite supply" of "in the South East".

While stating that "the Bill is likely to provide a template for similar legislation by the states and territories for onshore storage International Power Australia complained that it preferenced "treatment for existing holders of petroleum rights" over "storage prospectors and potential injection licence holders. The company noted that, if existing exploration licence holders had "veto" rights over carbon storage exploration, this would affect approximately 80% of the Gippsland Basin.

Opposing Feed-In Tariff for Renewable Power
In a July 2010 submission on behalf of International Power, Gibbons argued against a feed in tariff for small scale wind and solar power. In a submission for the company Gibbons wrote that "IPRA believes there is no public policy rationale for the ongoing existence of a statebased renewable feedin tariff scheme." The submission argued that a feed in tariff would not be equitable. The submission argued that "current and proposed Federal and State policies designed to force the uneconomic uptake of renewables and incentivising low emissions technologies represent just such distortions. The impact of these technologies is making existing generation less viable and restraining new investment in capacity necessary to ensure reliable electricity."

Affiliations
Gibbons wok history includes:
 * May 2011: energy and resources adviser in the Premier's Office in Victoria;
 * August 2007 - May 2011: Regulatory Policy Manager for International Power Australia;
 * July 25, 2005 - 2007: Executive Director at Energy Retailers Association of Australia
 * Senior Adviser at Minister for Energy Industries & Resources in Victoria, Theo Theophanus;
 * Adviser - International Trade at Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet; and
 * Diplomat at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including "a posting in Iran in the 1990s".

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Researching coal in Victoria
 * State Electricity Commission of Victoria
 * Victoria and coal


 * Australia and coal
 * Earth Liberation Front Letter to International Power Australia CEO, Graeme York

Submissions by Gibbons on behalf of International Power Australia

 * International Power Australia, "Abatement Incentives Prior to the Commencement of the Australian Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, Submission to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, December 3, 2007. (While the submission was under the name of Tony Concannon, Gibbons was listed as the contact for further detail on the policy issues).
 * International Power Australia, Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Resources Inquiry into the Draft Offshore Petroleum Amendment (Greenhouse Gas Storage) Bill, House of Representatives, July 16, 2008. (While the submission was under the name of Tony Concannon, Gibbons was listed as the contact for further detail on the policy issues).
 * International Power Australia, Submission on the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper, September 10, 2008. (While the submission was under the name of Tony Concannon, Gibbons was listed as the contact for further detail on the policy issues).
 * Patrick Gibbons, Regulatory Policy Manager International Power Australia, "International Power Submission: Feed-in Tariff Review", July 23, 2010.
 * Tony Concannon, "Submission on A Clean Cleaner Future for Power stations Discussion Paper", Submission to the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, December 24, 2010.(While the submission was under the name of Tony Corcoran, Gibbons was listed as the contact for further detail on the policy issues).