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APIA said that in private discussions both the ALP and the Coalition had acknowledged the benefits that natural gas offers Australia.
“However, natural gas goes missing in their public announcements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation,” APIA chief executive Cheryl Cartwright said.
Both sides of politics focused on the coal industry and on renewable energy in their policy releases, but failed to acknowledge the advantages that gas-fired power had over these other energy sources, according to Cartwright.
“Natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel than is coal,” she said.
"It uses less water than does coal-fired power generation; it’s certainly less expensive than clean coal; it doesn’t attract government subsidies; and is more readily available than renewable energy sources.”
While so-called "clean coal" had not yet been developed and renewable energy was not yet suitable for baseload power, the technology to build gas-fired power stations for Australia’s future energy generation had been proven, and gas is available now.
“However, unless infrastructure investment is encouraged for such energy generation, then the critical transmission infrastructure simply won’t be built in time to meet the expected energy demand," she said.
“We understand there needs to be a focus on developing the renewable energy generation industries and that in the longer term, our energy needs must be addressed by renewable energy sources in order to dramatically reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
“But, no matter how much money governments throw at the renewable energy sector, it will not be ready in the short or medium term to generate baseload power for major manufacturing or electricity generation.”
Cartwright said the gas industry understood both sides of politics want to also focus on the coal industry – a major national industry.
“But natural gas is also a major industry in this country, with a value of the exploration, transmission and construction of natural gas valued at more than $10 billion,” she said.
