The federal government seems keen to usher in a new boom in onshore gas production. But gas firms will need to tread carefully, as past experience in Queensland’s fracking heartland shows.
The long view: energy policy needs to stay firmly focused on the horizon.
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The current flurry of energy policy aims to make power cheaper and more reliable. But it will take more than that to meet vital longer-term goals like cutting carbon while keeping future prices low.
Will 2017 be the year Australia sorts out its energy policy?
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Victoria will permanently ban unconventional gas, and extend a moratorium on onshore gas until 2020.
An LNG tanker leaves Gladstone, Queensland. Gas development is one of the drivers behind Australia’s increasing emissions and electricity demand.
AAP/Dan Peled
Woodside’s deferral of its floating gas project in Western Australia is just the latest blow low oil prices have dealt the industry.
In 2015, gas prices fell below $2 per gallon in Moscow Mills, Missouri. The trend of low gas prices across the United States delay a signature Obama proposal to reduce emissions from cars and trucks.
Whitney Curtis/Reuters
Faced with stringent fuel economy standards but cheap gas, automakers may seek to delay CAFE rules. What’s the best way to reevaluate these emissions-cutting rules?
Could better regulations have persuaded Woodside not to mothball its Browse gas project?
AAP Image/Richard Wainwright
Woodside’s decision to shelve its $40 billion Browse project off Western Australia’s north is not a disaster, but it does highlight some areas where the gas industry needs to get much smarter.
Plugging in: more energy efficient cars are just one of the ways to improve energy productivity.
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With cheaper gas, consumers are buying fewer fuel-efficient vehicles – a step backwards on climate, energy security and upkeep of our highway and bridges.
It has been argued that connecting the pipeline to the Moomba gas hub (pictured) would have been more beneficial for the sector.
Santos Ltd/AAP
Eastern Australia’s gas market is rapidly changing, driven by the first exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Queensland. And this is affecting the whole supply chain, from gas producers, to the way we use gas in our homes.
Rising gas prices, driven by the development of Queensland’s exports, could end up driving domestic customers away.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Gas developers have been ominously warning of impending gas shortages in New South Wales, with official forecasts from planning authorities pointing to steady or rising demand. Yet our analysis suggests…
Cooking on gas could be unpalatable when the bill arrives.
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During Melbourne’s recent spell of hot weather, my air conditioner got a workout after a long hiatus. Technically it’s a split system that also could have been used during winter, but like many Melbourne…
Leaving Europe behind?
Mikhail Metzel/EPA/Ria Novosti
Michael Bradshaw, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Much has been made of the agreement signed by Moscow and Beijing to get gas flowing from western Siberia to China. There is talk of Russia using the deal to offset its isolation from the west and circumventing…
Shipping gas overseas can be good for Australia - but bad for Australian gas bills.
Ken Hodge
Queensland’s liquid natural gas boom, built on the back of vast reserves of coal seam gas, will bring huge gains to Australia. Exports of gas are set to quadruple by 2018, creating investment, jobs and…