Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Change Policy Overview: Squadron Energy is actively engaged on climate-related policy and displays a mix of positive and negative positions on specific climate-related policies in Australia. The company likewise demonstrates mixed positioning on the energy transition, supporting the phase-out of coal in favor of increased renewables while advocating for a continued role for fossil gas in the energy mix.
Top-Line Messaging on Climate Policy: Squadron Energy displays positive top-line messaging on climate policy. The company appeared to support Australia’s transition to net-zero without specifying a date on its corporate website, accessed January 2025. However, Squadron Energy supported the New South Wales government’s net-zero target by 2050 in a November 2023 media release. The company also partially acknowledged the link between climate change and human activity in referring to the negative impact of fossil fuel usage on its corporate website, accessed January 2025.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Squadron Energy engages with a mix of positive and negative positions on climate-related policy in Australia. The company appeared to support the country’s Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme and warned against an oversupply of Renewable Energy GO certificates, which could hamper the achievement of the federal Renewable Energy Target in an April 2024 consultation submission to the Electricity and Energy Sector Plan.
However, Squadron Energy’s CEO Rob Wheals repeatedly supported the role of Australia’s Capacity Investment Scheme in achieving the country’s renewable energy targets, as seen in a December 2024 media release, he also appeared to support the inclusion of fossil gas projects in the Scheme in a May 2024 article in the Australian Financial Review.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Squadron Energy demonstrates a mix of positive and negative positions on the energy transition. The company appears to support the decarbonization of industry and the transition to renewable energy while also advocating a continued role for fossil gas. Squadron Energy emphasized the importance of the energy transition to minimize reliance on fossil fuels in its corporate website, accessed January 2025 and appeared to support the decarbonization of industries in its April 2024 submission to the Electricity and Energy Sector Plan.
However, in a December 2024 media release, Squadron Energy’s CEO Rob Wheals stated that current economic concerns surrounding nuclear energy means there is “no other option other than variable renewable energy, backed by storage and flexible gas.” Similarly, the company’s Chairman Jason Willoughby promoted “a wind-solar-battery-firmed-by-gas solution” towards supporting the retirement of coal-fired power plants in December 2024 comments to the Select Committee on Nuclear Energy. Squadron Energy also advocated for increased investment in gas-powered generation in its November 2023 consultation submission on Australia’s Future Gas Strategy.
Industry Association Governance: Squadron Energy has not disclosed its memberships to industry associations on its corporate website, nor has it published a review of its alignment with its industry associations. The company maintains membership to the Clean Energy Council, which strategically supports the renewable energy transition.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2025.