The Baseload Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ben Beattie
Ben is an electrical engineer based in Australia, following the decline of the world's critical energy systems.
I spoke with Sam Berridge and Sarah Lawley, both great guests, very knowledgeable and far more polite than me about the dire straits of our energy policies... 👏
1-July-2026
Interview with Cameron Murray from Sep 2025. The lengthy delay is an example of how disrupted I have been the last few months. Onwards and upwards.
The Baseload Podcast Ep36
00:00 intro
02:34 electricity system problems part 1 – disappearing middle
07:24 electricity system problems part 2 – missing money
09:07 Danny Price vs the rest
16:04 The GOAT vs Chris Bowen, 7:30 report 18 Sep 2-25
36:57 Interview – Mark Ostwald interviews Ben Beattie
86:58 End
Chris Bowen, ABC 730
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-18/government-vows-to-cut-emissions-by-62-to-70-per/105791392
Danny Price on ABC radio
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/brisbane-mornings/mornings/105717128
Here’s a youtube clip of Chris Bowen’s first question as treasurer in 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2yLcNrxajY
Chris Bowen’s recent media releases
https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/bowen/media-releases
Chris Bowen October 12, 2022 730 report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLxbx6AU0rk
Mark Ostwald
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-ostwald-19097441/?originalSubdomain=au
00:00 Intro
14:08 Government vs landowners
25:52 GOAT vs John Grimes
50:44 Robert Bryce
https://robertbryce.substack.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSJ15g4Un_g
Shorter episode this week, no goat, just a quick chat and an interview.
00:00 intro
05:23 Gerard Holland, Page Research Centre
https://www.page.org.au/research-papers/
00:00 Intro
06:09 Tomago electricity blues
11:30 AEMO transmission cost blowouts
20:44 Why renewables cannot reduce electricity prices
41:48 Goat vs Chris Bowen
62:02 Matt Canavan
Yes there’s a gap but Baseload is back. Post-election and post-sanity, physics and economics remain intact everywhere except in the minds of those deciding Australian energy policy.
This episode we discuss options for realistic energy policy by comparing Australia to America, the goat takes on a pre-election ABC panel and I get into the details of Coal Australia’s GenCost submission with the author, Arche Energy’s Andrew Murdoch.
00:00 Intro
05:51 Ben’s net zero rant
15:05 GOAT
49:53 Interview: Andrew Murdoch
Welcome to the first episode for 2025.
00:00 Intro
04:43 Diesendorf vs reality
10:21 Aidan’s monologues, Friendly Jordies and Punters Politics
43:33 Senator Tim Ayres vs goat
65:22 Saul Kavonic
Ben with Cameron Murray
https://www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-48-the-cheap-renewables-grid
Diesendorf with Cameron Murray
https://www.fresheconomicthinking.com/p/fet-50-mark-diesendorf-on-why-a-renewables
Aidan’s YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@miltechntac5507
Feedback: thebaseloadpodcast@gmail.com
00:00 Intro
02:50 Frontier Economics’ nuclear scenario costs
08:51 Ben’s blurb
13:32 Energy hearings continued
24:42 GOAT: Ted O’Brien vs Chris Bowen on the 7:30 Report
53:14 Interview: Zoe Hilton and Aidan Morrison
84:56 Interview: Doomberg
https://www.spectator.com.au/2024/12/climate-chains-rise-of-the-normies/
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-drive/danny-price-frontier-economics-nuclear-costings/104724780
https://www.frontier-economics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Report-1-Base-case-report-Nov-14-2024_v2.pdf
https://newsletter.doomberg.com/p/power-down-blunder
01:05 Energy hearings – nuclear and energy planning
25:09 ShaC vs Aidan Morrison
30:51 Goat – Chris Bowen interview with Laura Jayes
55:58 Interview: Chris Uhlmann – The Real Cost of Net Zero
Aidan Morrison & SHaC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25BzShCq__M
Laura Jayes interviewing Chris Bowen
https://youtu.be/7BMgU_5z38U?si=libOVxFFTjZCGoWm
The Real Cost of Net Zero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbxpieEQ7bc
This episode we analyse the Rosie-gate controversy and the goat takes on the bureaucrats in DCCEEW as they are questioned by Senator Gerard Rennick.
Interview: Professor David Close, Director of the Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre.
https://gas-energy.centre.uq.edu.au/
The Matt Kean episode! From NSW Energy Minister to his new gig at the Climate Change Authority, we’ll take a look at Kean’s unwavering dedication to promoting renewables. We also scratch the surface of AEMO’s Electricity Statement of Opportunities and review the recent debate between Barnaby Joyce and Matt Kean at the Bush Summit held in Orange.
Interview: Jonathan Fisher, CEO of Cauldron Energy.
Follow Jonathan Fisher on X: https://x.com/CxuAsx
Follow Ben Beattie on X: https://x.com/EnergyWrapAU
The Hydrogen episode!
Iron ore vs hydrogen, in particular Fortescue wishes vs reality, stirring up social media with facts, Sun Cable edges one step closer, and Daniel Westerman - AEMO chief - gets the goat.
Interview: Tom Biegler
Nuclear policy announcement eliminates the paralysis in our energy debate. The goat takes on Paul Graham, lead author of CSIRO's GenCost.
Why are politicians still pushing net zero, what happens when I post my ideas on social media, and Kerry Schott gets the goat.
No interview this episode.
The nuclear episode! We spotlight the anti-nuclear community in their own words, including our Prime Minister and propaganda arm for the Greens - The Australia Institute. As well we open the mailbag, and interview Stephen Wilson and Nuclear for Australia’s Will Shackel.
Nuclear for Australia: https://www.nuclearforaustralia.com/petition?splash=1
What would be required: https://www.nuclearaustralia.org.au/requirements-for-operational-nuclear-plants-in-australia-from-2030-preliminary-concept-study-insights/
IPA energy security is national security: https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/research-papers/energy-security-is-national-security-a-framework-for-better-energy-outcomes-in-australia
Welcome back! The theme for 2024’s first episode is a reset – covering some old favourites and setting a new direction – well trying to anyway! We put the LNP’s nuclear plea in context, and pull apart AEMO’s integrated system plan with the assistance of Merryn York who was interviewed on the RenewEcomedy podcast in late 2023. No interview this episode.
Feedback: the baseloadpodcast@gmail.com
Chris Bowen’s capacity investment scheme, Oreos become a symbol of truth, the goat receives reinforcements, and I interview QLD Senator Matt Canavan.
Truth telling matters, so who’s doing it? This episode we look at propaganda spread by QLD Energy Minister Mick de Brenni, Jim Chalmers’ recent speech on how he’s going to further undermine Australia’s energy security, and we speak to Scott Hargreaves executive director of the Institute for Public Affairs about the IPA's energy security initiative.
https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/research-papers/energy-security-is-national-security-a-framework-for-better-energy-outcomes-in-australia
Truth matters and misinformation leads the energy debate, Australia’s energy security took another hit with the events in the Middle East, and I interview Campbell Newman.
What effect will Net Zero policies have on society, Chris Bowen gets the goat and I interview David Carland - a thorn in the side of CSIRO and AEMO and their flawed electricity system modelling.
Daniel Westerman on ABC radio vs the goat and the farmers, Ted O’Brien spars with Chris Bowen on social media with competing videos, and the GenCost saga so far.
Nuclear power is fast becoming a big talking point in Australia with Peter Dutton’s LNP finally succumbing to common sense and promising to repeal the legislation that has made nuclear power illegal. This episode contrasts Australia’s federal energy minister Chris Bowen with some people who actually make sense on nuclear. We’ll consider the next obvious step in Mr Bowen’s policy failure – extending the RET.Interview: Aidan Morrison on GenCost
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud commits to Net Zero, Nationals MP Anne Webster pushes back on regional transmission lines, Twiggy Forrest gets the goat. Interview: Dave Collins
AEMO's Daniel Westerman vs the goat, demonisation of the gas industry and duelling banjo's in Australian (soon to be) nuclear policies. Interview: Catriona Thoolen's local views on Victorian renewable developments
Eraring Power Station - to close or not to close is a question for the next premier of New South Wales, Dr Monique Ryan MP on methane emissions, interview with Maurice Newman.
The national electricity market, and Australian energy policies, look very different at the start of 2023 compared to the start of 2022.
My thoughts on how gas, coal and electricity policy should be managed in Australia. How have local consumers navigated a year of very high gas prices?
Liddell closure.
Conservative politics and energy policy.
Price caps on coal and gas, renewables are cheaper but nobody can explain how this translates into lower bills for consumers, and the subsidy to end all subsidies – how the energy ministers plan to hide the costs of The Transition.
Interview with Tristan Prasser - nuclear energy, the rise of critical thinking about energy systems and who is contributing.
Interview: Adjunct Professor Stephen Wilson, University of Queensland
https://energy.uq.edu.au/files/5963/WhatWouldBeRequired-FINAL.pdf
Industry Minister Ed Husic labels the gas industry all ‘glut and greed’, petroleum lobby CEO Samantha McCulloch's missed opportunities, renewables lobbyists Tim Buckley and Simon Holmes a Court, and will the climate alarmists be granted amnesty in the future?
Australia’s energy decline continues unabated. The energy bureaucrats are single-mindedly running the Australian electricity system into the ground with their increasingly desperate attempts to reach arbitrary renewable targets. Clips from AEMC CEO Ben Barr, Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Alex Epstein, Michael Shellenberger.
Queensland's 'supergrid' aka how much does it cost to shut down half-a-dozen coal-fired power stations, outright climate alarmism from elites in the US plus a rebuttal from Bjorn Lomborg, and an interview with energy economist Alan Moran.
The theme for today’s episode is interference, both from bureaucrats in markets, and from activist shareholders in the private sector. AGL is a good example of the latter, and we’ll look overseas for precursors to what’s happening in our local energy systems, particularly at Europe and the head of the UN calling for increasing taxes on fossil fuels. And we’ll consider the potential for the largest interference in our energy systems – nationalisation.
Broken electricity market – the National Electricity Market is destined for even more government intervention
Central planning on steroids – bureaucrats out of control
A new report by the US DoE – repurposing coal power station sites into nuclear
Paul Broad resigns from Snowy Hydro, doesn't hold back on the new federal energy minister Chris Bowen.