Origin Energy has positioned itself as a key driver of plans to open massive new oil and gas basins in three magical parts of Australia. They’re our cultural and environmental jewels, tourism icons of global renown, and some of the most beautiful, unspoilt places left on earth. Here’s what Origin are going after:
• The mighty Kimberley region, inland of Broome in Western Australia
• The pristine floodplains of the Lake Eyre Basin in south-west Queensland
• The Roper Gulf region south of Mataranka Hot Springs in the Northern Territory
What are the climate impacts?
These new basins are three of the biggest untapped unconventional oil and gas reserves on the planet. They’re estimated to contain 981 trillion cubic feet of prospective gas resources plus substantial volumes of oil. Based on three independent scientific reports which have analysed likely emissions from gas production scenarios in these three areas, commercial gas development is likely to result in total greenhouse emissions of at least 426Mtpa. Emissions at this scale are equivalent to the total annual emissions of a major emitting country, such as the UK, which produced 454.8 Mt greenhouse gases in 2019. However, actual emissions from the three basins are likely to be even greater than predicted, because oil is also a target for which there are no current emissions estimates available and because the methodology used is very conservative. This amount of new annual emissions is also around 25 times the current annual emissions from Origin Energy’s Eraring coal fired power station in NSW, slated for closure in 2032 – ie it would be the equivalent of opening 25 new coal-fired power stations. Opening these basins is completely inconsistent with the International Energy Agency which has said there should be no new oil or gas fields approved for development under a global pathway to net zero by 2050.
Why is this important right now?
This year Origin Energy has promised to give its shareholders a ‘Say on Climate’ at its Annual General Meeting in late 2022, and has committed to emission reductions consistent with 1.5 degree warming. As the first mover and major player in opening these three massive new unconventional oil and gas basins, Origin Energy simply cannot be allowed to pretend they are on track to meet those targets, or even in the ballpark.
Have First Nations people been properly consulted?
A number of Traditional Owners have raised concerns about the major risk gas production poses to cultural landscapes and sacred sites. Many First Nations groups have also said they haven’t been consulted properly by Origin Energy and have highlighted their fears for the future if fracking proceeds. Micklo Corpus, Yawuru Traditional Owner from the Kimberley said, “Origin Energy haven’t been invited onto our country here to frack. Origin Energy, just pack your swag up, forget about the Kimberley and go back home. You’re not invited, you haven’t been invited. We’re asking you to leave now. This can’t happen on our Country.”