A new Australia Institute research indicated that Tamboran Resources’ proposed Northern Territory LNG (NTLNG) processing facility’s lifecycle emissions would emit the equivalent of 12 coal-fired power stations annually when running at full capacity.
According to the research, the facility, located in the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct and will utilise gas from the NT’s Beetaloo Basin, will produce domestic emissions equivalent to three coal-fired power plants per year.
The report comes as NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles recently told the National Press Club that gas was a dependable energy source in transitioning away from coal and oil. However, according to the Australia Institute’s research, Tamboran’s first LNG output is not expected until 2030.
Key points of the report are:
- The NTLNG facility aims to manufacture up to 20 million tonnes of LNG annually for export using gas recovered by hydraulic fracturing in the Beetaloo Basin.
- If the NTLNG meets its stated production plans, it will emit 81 million tonnes of lifecycle emissions annually.
- The yearly lifecycle emissions from the NTLNG project would be similar to the annual emissions from 12 coal-fired power stations in Australia.
- At maximum capacity, Australia’s emissions would be comparable to the yearly emissions of three coal-fired power stations.
- The NT Government has proposed that gas from Beetaloo will help fulfil energy demand in Australia’s eastern states. The Tamboran facility’s capacity will be almost 90% of the amount of gas predicted to be generated across the Beetaloo Basin, implying that the gas from the Beetaloo is intended for export rather than domestic use.
- The NT Chief Minister Fyles and Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said in a news conference in May that the Beetaloo Basin expansion was required to displace coal-fired power in Australia.
“The misinformation from government and industry surrounding the Beetaloo Basin is alarming. Tamboran resources claimed that gas production in the Beetaloo will be the ‘single largest emissions reduction project in Australia’. This is just not true. It is physically not possible to reduce emissions while increasing emissions,” Australia Institute Climate & Energy Program Director Polly Hemming said.
According to Hemming, the NTLNG project’s pilot stage alone would result in almost 7 million tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions in Australia each year. She noted that when the project is completed, it will be equivalent to constructing two more coal-fired power plants in the NT.
“If the NT were a country, it would already be the highest per capita polluter in the world, far higher than countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Brunei. The NT prides itself as a tourist destination – unfortunately petrostate isn’t a very appealing slogan,” she stated.
“Contrary to announcements by the NT and federal governments, fracking the Beetaloo Basin will deliver little in economic growth apart from an increase in multi?national mining profits, with limited benefits for the wider community. What the Beetaloo gas development will deliver is an enormous increase in emissions, and further concentration of the NT economy into a single industry,” she added.
