Trevor St Baker

Last updated

Trevor St Baker

AO
OccupationInvestor in Vales Point power station
Board member of

Trevor Charles St Baker AO is an Australian businessperson with interests in power station and fuel supply development. He is director of the St Baker Energy Trust and chair of Sunset Power International (trading as Delta Electricity). He is founder and deputy chair of ERM Power Limited. [1]

Contents

Career

Early career

St Baker worked in planning and leadership roles within New South Wales and Queensland GOC electricity utilities during the 1960s and 1970s. He worked on the establishment of Queensland's first power station planning department in 1971 and its first Energy Resources Division in 1975. The Division was responsible for deregulating power station fuel procurement in Queensland. Steaming coal developments were facilitated at Blackwater and Curragh and long-term coal procurement contracts were secured to supply power stations at Gladstone, Tarong, Callide B and Stanwell. [1]

ERM Power (1980–present)

In 1980, St Baker entered the private sector, establishing several companies which would eventually become ERM Power. The first of these was the private company, ERM Consultants Pty Ltd which operated Australia-wide and internationally. During the 1990s, St Baker established one of Australia's first private power development companies, Energy Resource Managers Pty Ltd (later renamed Sunset Power Pty Ltd). While St Baker was acting as Executive Chairman, the company developed Queensland's Oakey power station followed by five new gas-fired power stations in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. Energy Resource Managers Pty Ltd's development represented 50% of all new power generation projects constructed in Australia during the 2000s. [1]

In 2006, St Baker established ERM Power Pty Ltd to manage the existing power stations and expand into the energy retail business. It was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2010 as ERM Power Limited, after growing to become the fourth largest electricity retailer in Australia. St Baker went on to pursue and develop electricity retail business in the USA. St Baker resigned from as a director in 2017.

Sunset Power International (2013–present)

In 2013, St Baker established Sunset Power International Pty Ltd. The company bid on new power generation projects in Myanmar in 2013 and Victoria, Australia in 2014. In 2015, the company acquired Delta Electricity, the owner and operator of Vales Point power station which sits on the shore of Lake Macquarie.

In 2013, Sunset Power international established the StBaker Energy Innovation Fund, (StBEIF) and invested in several start-up energy research and development commercialization businesses. The trust was established by St Baker [2] and has mentored and supported Australian founders of new technology businesses entering the energy sector. Products under development by its trustees include: flat printed light, printed solar photo-voltaic cells and printed energy storage, cloud-enabled intelligent controllers and powermetric customer access devices and electric vehicle fast chargers. Trevor is a Director of six of the companies in which StBEIF is invested, and acts as chairman of the two most advanced: Tritium Pty Ltd (which produces electric vehicle charging stations) and Southern Cross Printed Electronics Pty Ltd (which is developing printed LED lighting for various applications). [3] [1]

SMR Nuclear Technology (2012–present)

In 2012, St Baker founded SMR Nuclear Technology Pty Ltd "to advise on and facilitate the siting, development and operation of the safe nuclear power generation technologies, principally by Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)." [4] The company is managed by St Baker (Director), Tony Irwin (Technical Director), Robert Pritchard (chairman) and Barrie Hill (managing director). [5]

Other roles

St Baker ran as a National Party candidate for the Queensland electorate of Dickson in the 1993 Australian election.

He chaired the National Generators’ Forum for three years, ending in 2013. He was a non-executive director of the Queensland Resources Council prior to 2015 and remains on the board of the Energy Policy Institute of Australia. [6] St Baker co-founded St Baker Wilkes Indigenous Educational Foundation Limited (and acts as its chair) and the St. Baker Family Philanthropic Trust. [6] In 2015, he owned shares in Metgasco, Red Sky Energy and Empire Oil & Gas. [7]

Political views

In 2017, Baker told The Australian Financial Review that "Baseloading of intermittent renewables to replace coal in the foreseeable future... will just drive business out of the country." He believes that reliance on renewable energy in South Australia has led to increased prices for wholesale electricity there. He described claims that Australia no longer needs cheap, baseload power generation as "silly" and has previously advocated unsuccessfully for the reopening of Northern power station in Port Augusta and delaying the permanent closure of Hazelwood power station in Victoria. [8]

Personal life

St Baker lives in St Lucia, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. [9]

In 2016 St Baker was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to business and commerce as a leader and executive in the energy sector, and through philanthropic support for a range of health, arts and Aboriginal youth programs". [9]

Personal net worth

As of 2020 The Australian Financial Review assessed St Baker's net worth as A$699 million in the Financial Review Rich List 2020. [10] In 2015 the Financial Review predicted that St Baker would join the "billionaire class" following a revaluation of Vales Point power station in 2017; [7] however, the prediction has not materialised.

Wealth rankings

Year Financial Review
Rich List
Rank Net worth ($A)
2015 [7]
2016
2017 [11] not listedn/a
2018 [12] 180Increase2.svg$472 million Increase2.svg
2019 [13] 154Increase2.svg$647 million Increase2.svg
2020 [10] 149Increase2.svg$699 million Increase2.svg
2021 [14] 149Steady2.svg$1 Billion Increase2.svg
Legend
Icon Description
Steady2.svgHas not changed from the previous year
Increase2.svgHas increased from the previous year
Decrease2.svgHas decreased from the previous year

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CLP Group</span> Hong Kong electric power company

CLP Group and its holding company, CLP Holdings Ltd, also known as China Light and Power Company, Limited, is an electricity company in Hong Kong. Incorporated in 1901 as China Light & Power Company Syndicate, its core business remains the generation, transmission, and retailing of electricity. It also has businesses in a number of Asian markets as well as EnergyAustralia in Australia. It is one of the two main electricity power generation companies in Hong Kong, the other being Hongkong Electric Company.

The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia's electricity sector for the connection of the electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale electricity market. The Australian Energy Market Commission develops and maintains the Australian National Electricity Rules (NER), which have the force of law in the states and territories participating in NEM. The Rules are enforced by the Australian Energy Regulator. The day-to-day management of NEM is performed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EnergyAustralia (state government enterprise)</span>

EnergyAustralia was a state–owned enterprise of the Government of New South Wales, Australia. It was electricity and gas supplier and retailer which primarily supplied the Sydney, Newcastle and Central Coast areas of New South Wales. Since market deregulation, it increased its focus on retail supply opportunities in electricity and gas to the Victorian market and electricity in the deregulated south–east corner of Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ergon Energy</span>

Ergon Energy Network is a subsidiary company of Energy Queensland Limited (EQL) a Government owned corporation owned by the Government of Queensland. It distributes electricity to around 763,000 customers across Queensland, excluding South East Queensland through a distribution network regulated by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) who set the prices that Ergon is allowed to charge for distribution.

Alinta was an Australian energy infrastructure company. It has grown from a small, Western Australia-based gas distributor and retailer to the largest energy infrastructure company in Australia. It was bought in 2007 by a consortium including Singapore Power and various parties which include the now defunct Babcock & Brown funds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vales Point Power Station</span>

Vales Point Power Station is one of two operating coal fired power stations on the shores of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. Vales Point is located on the southern shore of the lake, near the township of Mannering Park. It has two steam turbines, with a total generating capacity of 1,320 MW of electricity.

Collie Power Station is a power station in Collie, Western Australia. It is coal powered with one steam turbine that generates a total capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity. The coal is mined locally from the Collie Sub-basin and is transported to the power plant by overland conveyor. On 14 June 2022 the state government announced that Synergy would close Collie Power Station by 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGL Energy</span> Australian electricity generator and retailer

AGL Energy Ltd is an Australian listed public company involved in both the generation and retailing of electricity and gas for residential and commercial use. AGL is Australia's largest electricity generator, and the nation's largest carbon emitter. In 2014, the company had an operated generation capacity of 10,984 MW. The company emitted 42,227,180 Total Scope 1 Emissions in 2019-20 and 40,209,034 t CO2-e in 2020–21. AGL is also a significant investor, owner, and operator, of renewable energy assets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contact Energy</span> New Zealand electricity generating and retailing company

Contact Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator, a wholesaler of natural gas, and a retailer of electricity, natural gas, broadband and LPG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renewable energy in Australia</span>

Renewable energy in Australia includes wind power, hydroelectricity, solar photovoltaics, heat pumps, geothermal, wave and solar thermal energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity Commission of New South Wales</span>

The Electricity Commission of New South Wales, sometimes called Elcom, was a statutory authority responsible for electricity generation and its bulk transmission throughout New South Wales, Australia. The commission was established on 22 May 1950 by the Electricity Commission Act 1950 to take control of power generation in the State. The commission acquired the power stations and main transmission lines of the four major supply authorities: Southern Electricity Supply, Sydney County Council, the Department of Railways and the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Ltd, known as the Balmain Electric Light Company, to acquire the Balmain Power Station. The commission was responsible for the centralised co-ordination of electricity generation and transmission in the State, and some local councils continued to be distributors of electricity only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear power in Australia</span> Overview of nuclear power in Australia

The prospect of nuclear power in Australia has been a topic of public debate since the 1950s. Australia has one nuclear plant in Lucas Heights, Sydney, but is not used to produce nuclear power, but instead is used to produce medical radioisotopes. It also produces material or carries out analyses for the mining industry, for forensic purposes and for research. Australia hosts 33% of the world's uranium deposits and is the world's third largest producer of uranium after Kazakhstan and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jemena</span>

SGSP (Australia) Assets Pty Ltd (SGSPAA), trading as Jemena, is an Australian company that owns, manages or operates energy infrastructure assets in the eastern states of Australia including Queensland and New South Wales, and gas pipelines and gas and electricity distribution networks in Victoria and the Northern Territory. It is 60% owned by State Grid Corporation of China and 40% by Singapore Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maha Sinnathamby</span>

Maha Sinnathamby is an Australian businessman and property developer. He is the entrepreneur behind the Greater Springfield Development in Queensland, the largest master-planned community in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakey Power Station</span>

The Oakey Power Station is a 282 MW power station located at Oakey on the Darling Downs in southern Queensland, adjacent to the Roma to Brisbane Pipeline. The station is an open-cycle, dual liquid/gas-fired power station that typically operates during times of peak electricity demand when Queensland's power needs are greatest. ERM Power led the development of Oakey with commissioning occurring safely and on time in December 1999. ERM Power owns 100% of Oakey and also operates and financially manages the power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braemar Power Station</span>

Braemar Power Station is a complex of natural gas and coal seam gas fired combined-cycle power stations in Kogan, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is near Dalby in the Darling Downs region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Click Energy</span> Australian energy retailer

Click Energy is an Australian energy retailer selling electricity to private and business customers in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

Robert L. Pritchard is a Sydney-based lawyer active in the energy and resources sector. He is managing director of ResourcesLaw International and executive director of the Energy Policy Institute of Australia.

Shell Energy Australia provides gas, electricity, environmental products and energy productivity services to commercial and industrial customers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Trevor St Baker - Biography" (PDF). Engineers Australia.
  2. "Trevor St Baker - St Baker Energy Innovation Fund". St Baker Energy Innovation Fund. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  3. "See the light". Daily Liberal. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  4. "About SMR-NT". www.smrnuclear.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  5. "Management". www.smrnuclear.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Energy Policy Institute - Board". www.energypolicyinstitute.com.au. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "BRW Rich 200 List 2015" . The Australian Financial Review . 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. "Power entrepreneur Trevor St Baker blasts 'baseload renewables' concept". Financial Review. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  9. 1 2 "ST BAKER, Trevor Charles - Officer of the Order of Australia". Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  10. 1 2 Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed" . The Australian Financial Review . Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  11. Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". Financial Review . Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  12. Stensholt, John (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  13. Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  14. Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review . Retrieved 28 May 2021.