Matthew Wright, executive director of Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE), says blanket claims by gas industry majors that coal seam gas is a cleaner energy source than coal have been proven to be wrong and are a greenwash myth.
The reputation of the Coal Seam Gas (CSG) industry in Australia has been pummelled in recent times. Aside from the concerns of fracking operations contaminating water supplies and degrading prime farmland, some CSG companies are reportedly pushing their luck with communities to the point they are endangering their “social licence to operate”.
Additionally, the claims of Coal Seam Gas being more emissions friendly all-round have been exposed to be incorrect – even in fossil fuel industry commissioned research.
Independent energy think tank Beyond Zero Emissions has condemned what it says are continuing misleading statements made by the fossil fuel industry after a report from APPEA (Australian Production Petroleum Exploration Association) clearly shows Coal Seam Gas is more greenhouse gas intensive than coal when utilised for electricity generation purposes.
Mr. Wright says the APPEA report found when coal seam gas is burnt in old outdated gas peaking plants, which are most commonly used in Australia, emissions are up to 44 percent higher compared to burning coal in the latest generation of coal plants.
“Gas is dirty and dangerous. Not only will it increase emissions both here and in China if this unsustainable boom continues but it will delay the inevitable switch to renewable energy sources such as wind power, rooftop solar photovoltaic and baseload solar thermal with storage,” stated Mr. Wright.
Beyond Zero Emissions is calling for a complete moratorium on the exploration and extraction of coal seam gas until such time the industry can deliver “in-country proof” emissions associated with CSG are substantially less than coal.
This call from BZE doesn’t mean the organisation supports coal – in fact, far from it. BZE wants to see an end to coal as well, starting with older coal fired power generation facilities being replaced with baseload solar power technology such as is being used by the Torresol Gemasolar plant in Spain.
In April last year, BZE published the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Project (ZCA2020); a blueprint for transitioning Australia to 100% renewables by the end of the decade using technology already available. Earlier this year, BZE published the Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan in partnership with the University of Melbourne, a study recognised by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
