Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has released its Bioenergy Roadmap, identifying the role the bioenergy sector could play in Australia’s energy transition.
The roadmap lays out a vision for a sustainable bioenergy industry that can help lower emissions, increase fuel security and deliver economic benefits.
According to the report, the bioenergy sector could contribute around $10 billion to Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) annually, creating more than 26,000 new jobs and reducing emissions by 9 per cent, as well as diverting an extra 6 per cent of waste from landfill.
“Bioenergy has significant potential to complement Australia’s future energy mix and our economy. Being so diverse, bioenergy can benefit multiple sectors with residential, commercial and industrial applications,” said ARENA chief executive Darren Miller.
“As well as reducing our agricultural waste, bioenergy can reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors and can complement other low emission technologies,” he said.
Many feedstocks for biofuel can be sourced from agricultural activities such as sugarcane waste and livestock industries, providing additional revenue streams for farmers.
To support its implementation, ARENA has also received $33.5 million in additional funding from the Federal Government to further support and advance the country’s bioenergy sector.
Australian Pipelines and Gas Association (APGA) chief executive officer Steve Davies said the Bioenergy Roadmap aligned with the gas industry’s vision as set out in its 2050 Gas Vision report on delivering a cleaner energy future.
“The Bioenergy Roadmap, together with the National Hydrogen Strategy, outlines the Federal Government’s commitment to develop the full spectrum of renewable gases,” said Davies.
He said the roadmap showed one of the important pathways through which gas will deliver affordable and reliable decarbonised energy.
“The Roadmap predicts that biogas could be delivering 105 PJ a year of gas by 2030, providing the opportunity to decarbonise about 10 per cent of current gas demand.
“Combined with the goal of 10 per cent hydrogen in gas networks by 2030 and extensive efforts to reduce emissions from the gas supply chain, it is clear gas can contribute to 2030 emission reduction targets and that gas is well on the way to delivering 100 per cent renewable gas in the years after 2030.”
The roadmap will be considered by the government and help inform the next series of investments and policy decisions by the public and private sectors.
For more information visit the APGA website.