Page 6 - AsianOil Week 43 2022

AsianOil OCEANIA AsianOil

Australia backs global

methane pledge

ENERGY AUSTRALIA has joined a global pledge to curb methane emissions in the livestock sector,
TRANSITION methane emissions by 30% by the end of the known as MERIL. These funds will be used to
decade from their level in 2020, with the effort develop technologies to provide low-emission
APPEA has welcomed largely set to fall on the country’s agriculture and feed supplements to grazing animals, and assess
the move. natural gas sectors. their technical and commercial viability, Bowen
The ruling Labour government had indicated said.
its intention in June to join the UN-backed com- “As a result of signing the pledge, the Austral-
mitment, which more than 120 countries have ian government will not legislate or introduce
signed up to. Methane is a far more potent green- taxes or levies to reduce livestock emissions,” the
house gas (GHG) than CO2, even though it stays minister noted.
in the atmosphere for less time. This means that Australia’s previous Conservative govern-
efforts to cut methane emissions can yield faster ment resisted joining the methane pledge until
results in preventing global warming. it lost power in May this year.
The agricultural sector is a greater source Australia’s main oil and gas industry group,
of man-made emissions than the hydrocarbon the Australian Petroleum Production & Explo-
industry, but it is widely considered that the ration Association (APPEA), said it supported
greatest short-term reductions can be made in the government’s decision, describing it as “an
the latter. important step in the emissions reduction path-
“By joining the pledge, Australia will join the way to net zero.” APPEA noted it had worked
rest of the world’s major agricultural commodity with the government during the consultation
exporters including the US, Brazil and Indonesia process, stressing that the industry’s own com-
in identifying opportunities to reduce emissions mitments were either in line with or went beyond
in this hard-to-abate sector,” Australian Minister the methane pledge.
of Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said “As an industry committed to net-zero green-
in a statement. house gas emissions economy-wide by 2050,
Australia’s government will work with indus- we have worked with the government towards
try to decarbonise the economy and draw up today’s announcement, paving the way towards
and implement initiatives across the energy a cleaner energy future,” APPEA CEO Samantha
and waste sector, Bowen said, noting this would McCulloch said. “With Australia’s focus on emis-
include capturing methane that can be used to sions reduction, signing the pledge is a positive
generate power. This would include capturing and important step for our country and the world.
biogas that emitted at waste sites, and converting Reducing methane emissions has been a priority
it into biomethane for power plants to use. of our industry for decades as members monitor,
Investments by the government in reducing report and reduce their fugitive emissions profile,
emissions will include some AUD3bn ($1.9bn) participating in several global initiatives.”
to be spent from the AUD15bn National Recon- Several APPEA members have already com-
struction Fund on supporting the development mitted directly to the pledge, or have commit-
of low-emissions technologies and compo- ments that are either consistent or go beyond it,
nent manufacturing and agricultural methane the association noted. In addition, some have
reduction, the minister added. The government also signed up to other global methane initiatives
will release a further AUD5mn in funding for such as the Methane Guiding Principles and the
the second stage of a programme to reduce Oil and Gas Climate Initiative. ™

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 43 31•October•2022