National Net Zero Authority has the potential to boost bioenergy

Bioenergy Australia welcomes the Albanese Government’s move to legislate a national Net Zero Authority.

The national industry association says the newly announced Authority and funding could be used to assist the progression of the renewable liquid fuels and renewable gas sectors in Australia.

CEO Shahana McKenzie said the global transition to a net zero economy is an incredible economic opportunity for Australia.

“Australia has enough feedstock (landfill, waste water, crop residues) to see biomethane account for 23 per cent of the total pipeline gas market by 2030 and 18% of Australian domestic aviation fuel market replaced with Sustainable Aviation Fuel. If Australia were to realise its broader bioenergy potential in that timeframe, it would lift annual GDP by $10 billion, create 26,000 jobs, reduce emissions by nine per cent and see a reduction of six per cent in landfill.”

“We were also pleased to see a focus on regional Australia. The pursuit of Bioenergy solutions has the potential to create tens of thousands of regional jobs,” said Ms McKenzie.

The Renewable Gas Alliance chair Dr John Hewson says the Authority has the capacity to support projects which will play a significant role in the decarbonisation of Australia’s energy system.

“We would welcome the investment in Biomethane projects which are capable of significantly reducing emissions, lowering energy costs, shoring up energy supply and creating a circular economy.

“For example - investment in developing the Biomethane industry could supply an additional $18,100 jobs by 2050 which are mostly regional.” said Mr Hewson.

The $400 million Industrial Transformation Stream was also welcomed by the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Alliance of Australia and New Zealand (SAFAANZ).

“The funding demonstrates the Albanese Government understands the immense task of decarbonising our aviation sector,” said SAFAANZ Chair Terri Butler.

“We know sustainable aviation fuels can be produced from diverse feedstocks to reduce conventional aviation jet fuel emissions by up to 80% over the lifecycle.

“With an abundance of feedstock available, the industry has set a target of deploying 1 billion litres of SAF by 2030, and the announcement today is a fantastic step in the right direction.

Future Fuels manager as Chair of the Cleaner Fuels Alliance Simon Roycroft hopes the announcement will put Australia on track to enable the deployment of renewable fuels and catch up with our significant peers such as the US, EU, UK and Canada.

"The industry is flourishing overseas where appropriate government policies, incentives and subsidies are in place,” said Mr Roycroft.

“We have seen a 33,000% increase in the exportation of Australian used cooking oil (UCO) from 2020 to 2022 due to the increased demand for renewable fuels”

“While it will take time to build the infrastructure and storage capacity for other renewable solutions capable of supporting decarbonisation of significant sectors such as transport - renewable liquid fuels are proven, available today and able to be deployed at scale. Renewable liquid fuels represent a quick and easy win for emissions reductions and transforming Australia's economy,” said Mr Roycroft.

Bioenergy Australia (BA) is the national industry association committed to accelerating Australia’s bio economy. Our mission is to foster the bioenergy sector to generate jobs, secure investment, maximise the value of local resources, minimise waste and environmental impact, and develop and promote national bioenergy expertise into international markets.

Bioenergy Australia works with the Renewable Gas Alliance (RGA), Sustainable Aviation Fuel Alliance of Australia and New Zealand (SAFAANZ) and the Cleaner Fuels Alliance (CFA). These alliances were founded to accelerate the development and deployment of Renewable Liquid Fuels and Biomethane for deployment in Australia.