Andrew McConville, chief Executive of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA), told delegates at the opening of the APPEA 2021 conference in Perth today that natural gas will play a vital role in reducing Australia’s and Asia’s emissions.
“As just one example, Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports are estimated by the Australian Government as having the potential to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in importing countries by about 170 million tonnes each year,” said McConville.
“Natural gas plays an important role in balancing renewable energy and our industry is also leading the world in the practical development of carbon capture and storage and hydrogen to ensure a cleaner energy future,” he added.
“But we can’t rest, we must continue to build trust and show Australians the good we are doing and how we are driving change,” said McConville in his opening speech on the 60th anniversary of the APPEA conference.
“In Australia, our industry contributes around 3% to Australia’s GDP and around 13% of our total exports … supporting 80,000 jobs directly and indirectly in Australia and hundreds of thousands more in manufacturing, transport, electricity generation and other industries that rely on the industry’s outputs,” added McConville.
“But this is just the tip of the iceberg, with a recent EY report showing that under the right investment settings, the oil and gas industry could provide a $350 billion boost to the economy and more than 220,000 jobs over the next two decades,” he said.
“And despite what our detractors might say, our industry is doing a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to tackling climate change,” he added.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, known as APPEA, is an Australian industry association representing companies which explore and produce oil and gas in Australia. APPEA is a non-profit organisation. The organisation was originally established in 1959.
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