MEDIA ALERT
TOMORROW 30 MAY: Gas Energy Australia will host its National Forum at the Pullman Melbourne on the Park over 30 and 31 May 2024, with the theme ‘Renewable Gas: Changing the Game’.
The opening day of the National Forum will hear from international and Australian leaders and those at the coal-face in developing government policy. It will also delve into the substantive and market research that is increasingly seeing LPG recognised as a solution to decarbonising energy through net zero bioLPG, actual zero synthetic renewable LPG (rLPG) and renewable DME.
In doing so, delivering Australian families and businesses net zero gas over the same time frame as electricity via the grid, but without the hefty price tag or issues around reliability.
More than 2 million Aussie households run on LPG for home cooking, hot water and heating – more than 356,000 in Victoria. It grows every year. That’s distinct from LPG use in 6 million BBQs, 750,000 caravans and campervans, as well as commercial kitchens, hospitals, schools and hot-air ballooning.
These renewable alternatives will be available in Australia soon and can replace all conventional LPG use by 2045, without any additional capital costs as the new gases are one-for-one replacements and require no changes to existing infrastructure, appliances or functionality. This stands to save homeowners and businesses tens of thousands of dollars in not having to make the switch to more expensive electrical appliances and upgrade premise wiring to cope with the new power loads.
Below we outline the first three sessions…
Session 1 – It’s Happening Now (9am – 10:30am)
- LPG on Purpose – Dr Keith Simons, Chair, World Liquid Gas Association Global Science Council and Chief Technology Officer, SHV Energy (UK): via video link from London, Dr Simons will address the feasibility and practicality of creating bioLPG and rLPG as a stand-alone product – not just as a by-product of other processes.
- Pathways to rDME – Rob Dent, Senior Research Engineer - Energy, Linde/Elgas (US): via video link from New York, Mr Dent canvasses production (including in Australia) of rDME, which can blend with LPG, bioLPG or rLPG giving not only greater flexibility in gas supply but delivering negative carbon results.
- Renewables: Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Renewable Diesel and BioLPG – Mick Hart, General Manager Next Generation Fuels, AMPOL. AMPOL is exploring Sustainable Aviation Fuel production in Brisbane and will be producing bioLPG as a byproduct of that process.
Session 2 – Government Policy and LPG (11am – 12:30pm)
- Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap and LPG – Katie Brown, Executive Director, Energy Strategy, Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action. She has carriage of the GSR, which pleasingly saw the update, released in December 2023, specify the positive role LPG can play. LPG is exempt from the Victorian Government’s ban on home and business connections.
- GreenPower Renewable Gas Certification – Brad Bailey, GreenPower and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. GreenPower runs the new national Renewable Gas Certification, which is certifying H2, biogas and biomethane. GEA has been in discussions with GreenPower over the last 12 months on the potential for bioLPG and rLPG to be part of the next stage of the Certification.
- LPG, bioLPG and rLPG a sea change for shipping – David Stephens, Director, Environment, Maritime and Trade, Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts. Ahead of the 2022 federal election, Labor pledged to rebuild Australia’s coastal shipping fleet. It begs the question, what will the new ships run on? David addresses marine fuel and the potential for LPG to be part of the mix for Australia’s future shipping fleet, noting three LPG-fuels ships are already operating in Australian waters.
Session 3 – LPG on the horizon (1:30pm-3:00pm)
- LPG path to zero emissions – Andrew Harpham, Director, Frontier Economics. Andrew will cover the findings of Frontier’s modelling showing the LPG sector’s pathways to achieve net zero bioLPG and, indeed, actual zero rLPG. The research already has positive responses from federal and state governments making the case for LPG to – not only remain – but grow as an important part of Australia’s green energy mix.
- Public attitudes to BioLPG and rLPG – John Scales, Director, JWS Research. GEA wanted to know… what do punters think of all this? A few months ago we commissioned JWS to undertake market research to ask people in inner metro, suburban and regional areas across all states their attitudes to LPG, its opportunities to be net zero and save them money doing it. The positive response shows people want what LPG offers.
- The global response – James Rockall – CEO, World Liquid Gas Association. Sharing information and insights on what similar countries have been going though and their response to the emergence of renewable forms of LPG.
The full program for the 2024 GEA National Forum is available via: https://www.gasenergyaus.au/forum-program.html
Accredited media welcome to attend, with A/V access for all sessions. For more information contact Brett Heffernan, GEA CEO, on M: 0456 700 933.
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Media Contact: Brett Heffernan on 0456 700 933 or bheffernan@gasenergyaus.au
