Gas, new tech part of the solution to climate change: Appea
Following the release of the new IPCC report, Australia’s peak oil and gas upstream body Appea said new technology and natural gas were part of the solution to reducing emissions.
Appea deputy CEO Damian Dwyer said global action, including in Australia, was needed to reduce emissions and that includes the major emission-intensive economies of China and India.
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“Natural gas has only half the greenhouse gas emissions of coal when used to generate electricity. By replacing higher-emitting fuels with cleaner natural gas we can substantially reduce emissions,” Dwyer said.
“Natural gas has a critical role to play in reducing emissions in our energy system. It is the perfect partner to renewable energy. When the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, we can rely on natural gas to provide stable power for our homes and businesses,” he added.
He said that the Australian oil and gas industry had a key role to play in a cleaner energy future, both in Australia and globally.
“The industry is also leading the development of climate change technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen,” he said. “CCS projects are already removing around 40mn tonnes of CO2-e every year.”
Dwyer said Appea supports the science of climate change, reinforced by the new IPCC report, and the need to reduce global emissions consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
“For example, our submission to the department of industry, science, energy and resource’s consultation on a hydrogen certification scheme, outlines a key-way to fast track a scalable hydrogen industry,” he said.
Dwyer believes a hydrogen guarantee of origin (hydrogen GO) scheme is an important step towards a cleaner energy future for Australia and world.
“Hydrogen is an immense opportunity for Australia to fast-track its transition to a lower carbon economy. Natural gas is the pathway to developing a home-grown hydrogen industry,” he said. “Developing a home-grown hydrogen industry also means a bright future for natural gas and the hundreds of thousands of jobs across Australia that depend on our industry.”
Appea's counterpart in the UK, UKOG, also used the report to back up its own activities, both to show how much the upstream was doing to reduce upstream emissions; and to show how it had the skills and technology needed to help achieve the UN target of net zero carbon by 2050.