The WA Government has introduced a bill that proposes to enable the transport and storage of greenhouse gases in the state.
Bill Johnston, Mines and Petroleum, and Hydrogen Industry Minister, introduced the Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 and the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Safety Levies Amendment Bill 2023 into parliament.
“The introduction of greenhouse gas storage and transport legislation is one of many options for the state’s response to climate change.
“As part of this response, the bill provides legislative certainty to encourage greenhouse gas storage projects and the development of the industry,” said Johnston.
As well as introducing a framework for greenhouse gas storage and transport, the exploration of naturally occurring hydrogen will be accommodated as a regulated substance in the bill.
“The Cook Government is aware industry is interested in exploring for naturally occurring hydrogen as an alternative source of energy, and we’re committed to reducing emissions.
“Together, this amendment will assist Government and industry to progress towards the goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”
Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) involves capturing and storing carbon dioxide to reduce emissions from industrial-scale processes and projects.
CCUS is one tool being used by hard-to-abate industries to decarbonise their operations across the world and is a mechanism the Cook Government supports to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
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