Lock the Gate: Labor’s new Qld gas threatens net zero promise |
The Lock the Gate Alliance has hit out at federal environment minister Murray Watt’s March 20 approval of almost 1700 new coal seam gas (CSG) wells in Queensland.
Ellen Roberts from LtG told Green Left that, of approximately 10,000 gas wells drilled in Queensland, around 6000 are currently operational. She said the approval of another 1700 wells — “almost a one third increase” — is a significant expansion.
Further, she said that the industry is at a “crossroads” since all of the big players signed long-term contracts when gas fracking became a major industry in the state.
The attempt to open new wells now, with a long-term investment, signals that APLNG, a joint venture including Origin Energy which sought the recent approvals, has no plans to transition away from fossil fuel extraction.
The current approvals expire in 2081, three decades after the federal government said it would have achieved “net zero” emissions.
“We think that Origin needs to have a plan for transitioning away from gas exports,” Roberts said. She argued that gas fracking is unsustainable for the government as “it is inconsistent with its........