Gas Energy Australia backs Bioenergy Roadmap
19 November 2021
Gas Energy Australia welcomes the release of ARENA's Bioenergy Roadmap, saying it will be a key enabler for the decarbonisation of gas fuels such as Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
GEA CEO John Griffiths said the downstream gas fuels industry was on its own decarbonisation journey and the Government's commitment to develop a strong bioenergy industry in Australia would help ensure there was sufficient local feedstock so it could complete the journey.
"The Roadmap reinforces our longstanding position that gas fuel technologies have a big role to play in cutting emissions right now and for years to come right across our economy. This is highlighted by its finding that by the 2030s, biogases could contribute to a 9 per cent reduction on Australia's 2019 emissions output, and even greater cuts into the future," Mr Griffiths said.
"GEA is currently developing a gas vision which reflects the ambitions of the downstream gas fuels industry to make a positive contribution to Australia's low carbon future out to 2050 and beyond. And we strongly endorse the additional $33.5 million committed to ARENA to back the Bioenergy Roadmap, which will help make this happen.
"In the medium to long term, renewable gases such as biogas and hydrogen that utilise existing transport and storage infrastructure offer the lowest cost pathway to affordable, reliable net zero emissions energy for Australians.
"Greater use of decarbonised gases such as biomethane or biopropane for stationary energy and transport applications, including road and marine, would reduce the massive infrastructure costs of electrifying Australia's energy supply. It is very much in the interests of consumers that gas remains available to Australian households and businesses. This is particularly the case in rural and regional Australia which depends on gas fuels for cooking, heating and agricultural and mining processes.
"The Roadmap clearly illustrates that targeted deployment or broad use of bioenergy – which includes biogases – would see a significant increase in usage in the stationary energy and transport sectors and for industrial applications."
GEA recognises the benefits from the Roadmap's 'action options' to inject renewable gas into the grid, which includes the Clean Energy Regulator finalising its Emissions Reduction Fund methodologies. But more could be done to support the decarbonisation of portable gas fuels that use biogas to produce LPG, LNG and CNG which can utilise existing storage and transport infrastructure and minimise costs for consumers.
Media contact: John Griffiths 0439 344 622
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