UniSuper: dangerous fracked gas from the Beetaloo is expensive and emissions-intensive
APA Group is Australia’s largest gas pipeline operator. The company is planning to construct several pipelines to support extensive fracking in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin by gas companies Empire Energy and Tamboran Resources.
As a large shareholder in APA, UniSuper could have a significant influence on this company and its dirty gas expansion plans.
In UniSuper’s recent climate report, the fund references APA’s plans and claims the Beetaloo basin is “well positioned to supply cost-effective, lower-carbon domestic gas,” to avert potential East coast gas shortfalls.
However, the Federal Government’s Future Gas Strategy itself highlights that Beetaloo gas would be significantly more expensive than current Queensland production. Beetaloo gas delivered to Melbourne would be between 33%-48%[1] more expensive than existing Queensland production delivered to Melbourne.
Beetaloo gas costs also could be substantially higher, considering neither Empire nor Tamboran have proved reserves and thus “require significantly more investment in exploration and development”.
Take action
Demand UniSuper changes its tune on the Beetaloo Basin carbon bomb.
This page contains factual information that is not intended to imply any recommendation or opinion about a financial product.
Although the cost estimate used in the Beetaloo gas to Melbourne scenario claims to include pipeline infrastructure, considerable uncertainty remains regarding just how expensive these pipelines will be. The Future Gas Strategy puts pre-inflation pipeline costs at $1.53million/km – this translates to ~$2.4billion for an East coast pipeline connecting into the South West Queensland pipeline. This estimate doesn’t factor in inflation or additional complexity regarding the remoteness of this potential pipeline.
The Beetaloo pipelines would also face issues with the existing pipeline capacity restrictions.The East coast pipeline network “currently lacks the capacity to transport the gas required to bridge the Southern Regions supply gap”. The required upgrades also pose a risk for Beetaloo gas price.
Beetaloo gas could also face competition from existing Queensland liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporters choosing to sell into the domestic market. Following a massive wave of “new, low-cost LNG supply” globally, LNG markets are expected to enter a substantial glut by the end of the decade. Considering that Australian LNG has some of the highest production costs in the world coupled with the reality that Australian exporters have a significant portion of contracts expiring in the early 2030s, these companies may independently redirect exports into the domestic market due to higher pricing rather than attempt to sell into the oversupplied LNG spot market.
UniSuper also fails to address the fact that the majority of the gas from the Beetaloo basin is not destined for domestic consumption and will instead be exported as LNG. Based on Empire and Tamboran’s initial forecasts, Empire could export more than 80% of its gas overseas, whilst Tamboran could export more than 66% by 2030. This is particularly concerning considering academic research is increasingly highlighting the lifecycle emissions intensity of LNG, finding “the greenhouse gas footprint for LNG as a fuel source is 33% greater than that for coal”.
UniSuper asserts that emissions associated with the transportation of gas are not included in APA’s scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions, meaning emissions from gas extracted from the Beetaloo basin and burned elsewhere would not rest with APA. APA has made no such assertion. In fact, emissions from these pipelines would actually cancel out APA’s methane and scope 1 and 2 emission reduction targets more than 2.5 times over. With Empire looking to run its field development until 2070, these emissions pose significant long-term climate and cost risks for APA.
[1] Future Gas Strategy Analytical report. https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/future-gas-strategy-analytical-report.pdf
QLD Ex-LNG delivered to Melbourne $8.60/gj (pg. 80)
Beetaloo delivered to Melbourne $11.45/gj – $12.71/gj (pg. 90)