Geelong residents: Gas must go

“New gas terminal? Not here! Not anywhwere! No new gas!”

Liquid Natural Gas, LNG, is a dangerous substance. This new film from Geelong Renewables Not Gas shows just how dangerous this is and which areas of Geelong could be impacted if there is an incident with either the LNG tankers or the floating gas terminal in Corio Bay. Read more

At least 30,000 Geelong residents live within 3.5 kilometres of the import terminal and tanker routes.

You can help protect our bay and share this, so that the 30,000 Geelong residents living within the Hazard Zones are aware of the unnecessary risk we are all facing with this gas terminal proposal.

Greater Geelong region could usher in 24,000 new jobs in next five years

Geelong Sustainability and ACF Community Geelong have tabled the results of a research project which, with coordinated planning in government, would see the creation in the greater Geelong region of more than 24,000 new jobs in in various sectors ranging from building retrofits, renewable energy generation, manufacturing and electric transport in the next five years.

The jobs will be created in the local government areas of the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe, Golden Plains Shire, Surf Coast Shire and Colac Otway Shire.

The project’s consultants concluded:

  • Setting ambitious zero emissions targets will drive investment and opportunity to the region
  • Coordinated local, regional, and state government planning will support the transition to a zero emissions environment
  • Emissions from all sectors (energy, transport, land use, waste, and industry) need to be considered
  • The Geelong region is well placed to advocate for resources from the state and federal governments to realise these opportunities.

The project- The Roadmap to Zero Emissions: Job Analysis for the Geelong Region– was undertaken by Ironbark Sustainability, a national consultancy that works with councils and their communities to reduce greenhouse emissions, tackle climate change, and implement sustainability projects and programs.

The Geelong project is the first in Australia to employ a new form of analysis to determine how many jobs could be created if policy and investment was targeted towards reducing emissions if the region joined the race to net zero.

A cross-section of organisations including the Geelong Trades Hall, Victorian Trades Hall, Committee for Geelong, Geelong Manufacturing Council, RACV Solar and G21, which represents the five local government areas, were briefed recently on the Ironbark Sustainability report before its public release.

President of Geelong Sustainability, Vicki Perrett said “we want Geelong to capture the economic opportunities from repositioning itself to benefit from a world in rapid transition. Around our region there are many exciting innovations from renewable installations, rooftop solar, community power hubs, wind farms, the Big Battery and the circular economy. The time is now for us to work together to speed up and scale up the transition and realise the net zero jobs potential over the next five years.

“More than fifty percent of the 24,000 jobs are in two sectors, building and construction and renewable energy and its transmission. The balance will be found in electric buses and green transport, cleantech manufacturing, recycling and the circular economy and land use.”

Sally Fisher of ACF Community Geelong further endorsed the need for a co-ordinated approach at all levels of government. “The climate science is irrefutable so we must now make the transition to a decarbonised environment as smooth as possible to help create jobs on the ground and to help ensure Geelong’s economy is positioned for a zero emissions era.”

The job numbers are calculated using the total national job numbers determined in the Beyond Zero Emissions Million Jobs Plan (MJP). These national job numbers have been allocated to each local government area in Australia according to the relative capacity of each area to provide these jobs. 

The allocation is determined using a range of factors from 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics census data including population, the SEIFA index of socio-economic disadvantage, labour force, participation rate, job hours per capita and per worker and proximity to renewable energy, transportation, re-vegetation and industrial zones.

A formula using these factors was developed to distribute the total number MJP jobs to each local government area. The report provides information for the LGA’s in the Geelong region.

The job allocations have been rounded to the nearest whole number. The report can be viewed or downloaded by going to www.geelongrenewablesnotgas.org.


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Government’s new “pathway for gas supply and infrastructure out to 2041”

If you ever were in doubt whether Australia’s government is as bad as they say, have a look at Angus Taylor‘s gas plans, “Securing critical gas supply and infrastructure into the future”, which is government-mumbojumbo for “Securing the continued escalation of a climate catastrophe into that future.”

“On 26 November 2021, the Australian Government released the first National Gas Infrastructure Plan (NGIP) to identify a long-term development pathway for gas supply and infrastructure out to 2041.”

2021 National Gas Infrastructure Plan

Import terminals”The Interim NGIP highlighted the importance of imported gas as a flexible source of supply that assists with seasonal demand variations. An import terminal could provide added insurance to meet winter peaks in southern demand centres, particularly when combined with additional storage capacity. Five import terminal projects have been proposed for Australia’s south east coast, with the Port Kembla Gas Terminal (PKGT), proposed by Australian Industrial Energy (AIE) the most advanced of the projects, with all necessary approvals in place for construction to commence (Table 1).

Page 15, Table 1: Proposed LNG import terminal projects

PROJECT PROPONENT LOCATION
Port Kembla Gas Terminal – AIE Port Kembla, near Wollongong, New South Wales
Newcastle GasDock – EPIK Co. Ltd Port of Newcastle, New South Wales
Viva Energy Gas Terminal Project – Viva Geelong, Victoria
Outer Harbor LNG Project – Venice Energy Outer Harbor, approximately 14 km from Adelaide, South Australia
Vopak LNG – Royal Vopak Port Phillip Bay, Victoria

The PKGT has a maximum daily capacity of 530 TJ per day and an annual potential supply of 115 PJ per year. Bi-directional modification of the EGP is required together with a new 12 km lateral to connect the terminal to the EGP to provide a pathway to transport gas south to Victoria. The project developers have indicated the PKGT may be available to the market by winter 2023 to provide critical assistance with meeting periods of peak demand.

International gas prices can be highly volatile. Imported gas is likely to be delivered at a higher cost than domestic supply alternatives depending on the time of import or if high international prices continue. If prices trend lower, imports will become more competitive, potentially leading to higher import terminal utilisation especially during winter months. An import terminal should act as a complementary supply source alongside sufficient domestic production to meet winter peak demand and to alleviate southern supply shortfalls. In addition, an import terminal would provide positive economic benefits by increasing regional investment opportunities and supporting local jobs.”

#ClimateCriminals #ClimateElection #GasKills #GasFreeAustralia #AustraliaNeedsANewPlan #ZeroCarbon #CarbonNeutral2035


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Write a submission against new offshore gas

Newsletter from Friends of the Earth Melbourne:

“Despite needing to transition to renewable energy in order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the federal government is continuing to support the expansion of fossil gas.

Industry have nominated the following areas for consideration in the 2022 Offshore Petroleum Exploration acreage release:

  • Bonaparte Basin
  • Browse Basin
  • Northern Carnarvon Basin
  • Gippsland Basin

We have a chance to send in submissions opposing this new release. Submissions close on 14 December 2021. 

While the regulating body does not need to consider the climate impacts of approving new oil and gas permits, sending a submission still makes them understand that there is strong community opposition to new exploration and drilling.

Write a submission to oppose the release today.

This consultation process is an opportunity for you to comment on potential areas for release and highlight how exploration activities may impact you and your community. The government is required to balance environmental, social and economic considerations in the development of Australia’s natural resources.

How to make a submission:

  1. Visit the consultation hub website
  2. Add some basic personal details
  3. Comment on one or all of the areas being released

Some points you may like to make:

  • Welcome the opportunity to make a submission on the Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release 2022. Say who you are, what your interest is in the area.
  • State that the acreage release should not go ahead because of the massive volume of greenhouse gases that will be released, in production, processing, transport and consumption of any gas produced as a result of new exploration.
  • Mention the recent report from the International Energy Agency, Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector which is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net zero energy system by 2050. The report says ‘from today, no investment in new fossil fuel supply projects, and no further final investment decisions for new unabated coal plants’ should be allowed.
  • Point out that the Australian government has now committed to a target of net-zero emissions by 2050. It has a short term target of reducing emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2030. Why would any government or responsible department be approving further development of greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels?
  • Point out that a growing number of nations, including New Zealand, France and Costa Rica have banned further exploration or production of new offshore oil and gas, with a number of others either partially banning or phasing out offshore oil and gas production and exploration. 
  • Explain that encouraging new oil and gas exploration will delay climate action because companies that invest millions in these projects will want to maximise return and hence keep producing until the gas reserves are depleted. 
  • We already have a massive clean up cost coming from existing offshore oil and gas production. Australia has over 2,000 offshore wells, around 30 platforms, and thousands of kilometres of undersea pipeline around its Commonwealth waters. Many of these are coming to the end of their working life and will need to be rehabilitated in coming years.
  • The industry-wide clean-up bill due over the next 30 years is estimated at $60 billion
  • And we have already seen one company collapse, without paying decommissioning costs, which are estimated at between $200m and $1bn. There is a risk that the taxpayer will be left to pay for future decommissioning costs.
  • Apart from the climate impacts, the Australian public is very unlikely to benefit from this release. Development of these acreages is unlikely to occur for many years. Our energy system is unlikely to need this oil and gas in Australia in decades to come, and our system of taxation means very little revenue would accrue to the Australian community. The public is already incurring costs for the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas, and these costs make the already dubious benefits of industry expansion smaller still. 
  • This acreage release would make a minimal contribution to employment, even if it did lead to development. The oil and gas industries are small employers due to their capital-intensive nature, creating far fewer jobs per dollar spent than all other sectors. 

Write a submission before the 14th of December 2021.

Additionally, we have prepared a letter to Resource Minister Keith Pitt and Prime Minister Scott Morrison that organisations can sign on to, asking to extend the levy placed on the offshore petroleum industry to fund decommissioning, which is estimated at $60 billion over the 30 years. 

If you wanted to support our work, you can donate here (thanks!)

Many thanks,

Cam Walker – Friends of the Earth”
www.melbournefoe.org.au

“Why are people and communities of faith taking action to address climate change? It’s our moral responsibility, rooted in our deepest values.”
Catholic Climate Covenant