AEMO report highlights the importance of gas for the future of WA

The Shadow Minister for Energy Dr Steve Thomas says the 2025 Gas Statement of Opportunities for Western Australia released by AEMO today highlights the need to focus on gas as the transition fuel that will empower the Western Australian energy transition.

He has called on the Cook Labor Government to prioritise the availability of gas to the Western Australian domestic market by increasing production and the capacity of gas transport given its central role in the WA energy transition.

“The gas industry will be pivotal because gas is the transition fuel of the future, not just for Western Australia but for countries around the world” Dr Thomas said.

“The AEMO report states that by 2045 an additional 1,600 megawatts of gas power generation capacity is forecast to help maintain power system reliability as the share of renewables and battery storage increases in the SWIS.

“700 MW of that new gas generation is predicted to be developed up to 2035, with 900 MW coming in the following decade.

“At the same time the report highlights capacity constraints in the transport of gas from fields in the north of the state to where it is needed in the south.

“The report states that gas powered generation may see gas demand exceeding maximum flow limits on the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline.

“There is a real risk of both a lack of new gas developments and a lack of capacity to move that new gas to where it is needed which would undermine the stability of our electricity grid.   

“It is time for WA to get the approvals systems right for gas development” Dr Thomas said.

“WA gas is the only transition fuel that can get us to a low carbon future without risking grid stability and maintaining adequate supply, and this report plainly says we need more of it than we can currently supply if we want to keep the lights on and air conditioners running.

“I have said repeatedly we need more gas generation capacity to underpin the SWIS and maintain supply as we close down coal capacity, and this is simply another report that reinforces that need.

“Failure to increase gas capacity will mean that the transition out of coal would need to be extended well into the 2030s, which is why almost nobody believes the Government can achieve their current coal closure timelines.”