PERTH (miningweekly.com) - The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) has welcomed comments by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the need for greater use of natural gas in Australia.
Speaking at the National Press Club, in Canberra, Morrison said that in order to secure lower energy prices, improve the reliability of the electricity grid, and drive down emissions, Australia would need to access more of its natural gas reservoirs.
“We need to get the gas from under our feet. There is no credible energy transition plan for an economy like Australia in particular, that does not involve the greater use of gas as an important transition fuel.
“There are plenty of other medium to longer term alternative fuel arrangements and prospects, but they will not be commercially scalable and available for at least a decade, is our advice,” Morrison said.
“Gas has a critical role to play as a backstop to our record investment in renewable energy generation. It helps ensure we can keep the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
“Sweating our existing coal fired power generation assets will only take us so far. Gas can help us bridge the gap while our investments in batteries, hydrogen and pumped hydro energy storage bring these technologies to economic parity with traditional energy sources. So right now, we’ve got to get the gas.”
Appea CEO Andrew McConville on Thursday said that if the industry was given leave to further explore and develop onshore and offshore resources with support from governments, Australia’s natural gas could continue to underpin a nation-building shift to a lower carbon, sustainable energy economy.
“It’s important for Australia’s oil and gas industry to be recognised for the positive role it does and can play in the broader energy and emissions reduction debate. Natural gas is the perfect complement to the growing use of renewables and will continue to be so for decades come.
“All too often the debate about energy and emissions in Australia descends into an ideological, binary argument between advocates for fossil fuels and renewables which prevents us moving forward with pragmatic and achievable solutions,” McConville said.