The Australian oil and gas sector looks forward to working with the incoming Western Australian (WA) Government to boost the State’s economy and accelerate the transition to net zero, according to the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA).
APPEA WA Director Caroline Cherry said the sector wants to work with Premier Roger Cook‘s new ministerial team to continue to develop and support local employment while also ensuring the State’s energy security.
“The oil and gas industry congratulates Roger Cook on becoming Premier and looks forward to working with him and his new team to create a stronger WA economy. Mr Cook has a strong understanding of the importance of business to the economy, particularly the gas industry’s role securing reliable and affordable domestic energy supply and boosting the energy security of trade partners in the region with LNG exports,” Cherry said.
According to Cherry, while the industry contributed over $1.4 billion to the current State budget, assisting the government in funding services and infrastructure such as roads, schools, and hospitals, the oil and gas sector’s position in powering essential industries such as mining and manufacturing also contributes significantly to economic gains.
“Supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the state, the gas industry is central to the WA economy and will play a critical role decarbonising towards net zero through the deployment of carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology and low-carbon hydrogen production,” she added.
Cherry stated that the sector appreciated Mines, Petroleum, and Energy Minister Bill Johnston‘s broadening of his portfolio to include the hydrogen sector.
“Mr Johnston understands the gas industry and its priorities given his department is already working on carbon capture legislation, a technology important to hydrogen production in a cleaner energy future and critical to emissions reductions across different industries,” she said.
She noted that according to the International Energy Agency’s Net Zero by 2050 scenario, natural gas will supply over a quarter of hydrogen in 2050 via CCUS.
“Allowing more emissions reduction per dollar today, the most affordable pathway to low-carbon hydrogen production is currently gas combined with CCUS. This can enable all low-carbon hydrogen pathways and faster scale up to support economy-wide decarbonisation,” Cherry added.
