Concurrent 3. Presentation for: Examining the challenges and opportunities for Australia as an LNG producer against the backdrop of rising domestic renewables output and global interest in ‘carbon-neutral’ LNG

Abstract

Presented on Tuesday 17 May: Session 3

A massive global exporter of natural resources, Australia took the crown as the world’s top LNG producer at the end of 2018 and cemented its position in the following years with a slew of new LNG projects. But burgeoning LNG production in rival countries such as Qatar and the US in recent years has put the three countries neck and neck. As a party to the Paris Agreement which advocates climate change, Australia has held fast to its commitment of reducing carbon emissions by increasing the output of renewables such as solar, wind and hydro amid declining domestic gas production. At the same time, the country has attempted to up its ‘carbon-neutral’ LNG offerings in response to a global shift towards decarbonisation and net-zero targets. But what do all these mean for the LNG producing country? Could a rise in renewables output inevitably sound the death knell for the country’s LNG industry, which relies on gas for feedstock? Where does Australia stand in comparison with other countries, particularly Qatar and the US, when it comes to producing ‘carbon-neutral’ LNG? This paper will examine what the recent increase in renewables output in Australia to all-time highs and growing global interest in ‘carbon-neutral’ LNG mean for Australia as an LNG producer, delving particularly into the challenges and opportunities that accompany these developments for the country.

To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here