- Australia remained the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and metallurgical coal
- In 2021, the nation witnessed a 43pc increase in total hydrogen projects, a rise from 3 to 20
- Australia rose in the rankings to become the world’s second largest producer of uranium
Geoscience Australia has released the updated Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources (AECR) assessment for 2022, which includes detailed analysis of Australia’s non-renewable energy resources comprising uranium, coal, oil and gas commodities in 2020 and 2021.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said this year’s assessment reaffirmed Australia’s position as a leading global energy producer and supplier going into the current world energy crisis and highlights the impact the pandemic had on global production and demand for energy commodities.
“Australia remains a secure and reliable supplier of energy to our trading partners, particularly in this time of global energy volatility, and we will continue to help them achieve their climate ambitions,” Minister King said.
“In 2020, Australia remained the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and metallurgical coal.
“We also rose in the rankings to become the world’s second largest producer of uranium.”
Emerging opportunities highlighted as world moves towards net zero
“Australia continues to have strong gas reserves, which will help smooth the transition to a low-emissions economy by acting as a firming fuel for renewables,” Minister King said.
“Our unique geology is also being used to tap into emerging opportunities and help decarbonise our economy.
“We saw a 43 per cent increase in total hydrogen projects in Australia in 2021, with the number of operational projects rising from 3 to 20.
“While many of these projects are small in scale, their potential is enormous.
“Australia also continues to invest in carbon capture and storage initiatives to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere.
“The International Energy Agency has identified CCS as essential to the world reaching net zero emissions.
“This is in addition to the central role Australia will play in critical minerals and rare earths development for energy storage and electrification.”
To ASX renewable energy news
EURO MANGANESE (ASX:EMN)
Battery materials company, EMN has joined the Global Battery Alliance – a partnership of leading organisations from across the battery value chain.
Euro Manganese is the first high-purity manganese company to join the GBA with intensions to participate in discussions around battery materials transparency and traceability, particularly as the GBA moves towards the development of the Battery Passport.
The Battery Passport will be a digital representation of an electric vehicle (EV) battery.
Batteries that meet strict quality and sustainability standards will be awarded a quality seal, providing customers with assurance of responsible manufacturing processes.
CONTACT ENERGY (ASX:CEN)
Contact, which operates entirely in New Zealand but maintains a listing on the ASX, has demonstrated just how much firepower a renewable energy generator can bring to bear.
Of course the company benefits from New Zealand being blessed with ample geothermal and hydro power to begin with, but it is hard to argue with the numbers.
Contracted wholesale electricity sales, including that sold to the customer business totalled 751GWh while electricity and steam net revenue reached $126/MWh – meaning CEN reeled in a whopping $94.6m in revenue for the month of June.
Electricity generated (or acquired) by the company recorded 763GWh compared to 2021 figures of 880GWh.
The unit generation cost, which includes acquired generation was $39.53/MWh compared to June 2021 numbers at $44.05/MWh.