NSW could reduce its annual gas demand by the same amount that the Narrabri Gas Project is forecast to produce by 2030 a new report has found.
The Climate Council-commissioned report by energy analysts Northmore Gordon says that gas demand within NSW could be 70 per cent lower as soon as 2030, and eliminated altogether as soon as 2050, using readily available, commercially viable technologies.
"This report effectively renders the Narrabri Gas Project redundant. We already know that this project will drive up greenhouse gas emissions, worsen climate change and do nothing to reduce power prices. Now we also know the project is completely unnecessary when it comes to meeting the state's energy needs," Climate Council senior researcher Tim Baxter said.
"This is the first-ever plan that spells out how we can wean Australia's most populous state off polluting and expensive gas using common-sense measures. This is a pathway to healthier, more affordable, and more efficient gas-free homes and businesses. The report comes on the same day that the state government announced it was aiming to cut emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
The Northmore Gordon report found that with the right policies in place to support technologies like electric resistance heating and renewable hydrogen, gas use can be reduced in emissions-intensive industries like iron and steel manufacturing. Homes and commercial buildings are responsible for almost half of NSW's gas use and meeting their needs with electricity is readily achievable with existing, commercially available technologies, the authors said.
"The ball is in the NSW government's court. Allowing the Narrabri gas project to go ahead is fundamentally at odds with protecting Australians from climate change and a just energy transition," spokeswoman Dr Madeline Taylor said.
