The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has been tasked by its Minister to develop a bioenergy roadmap to grow and identify a clear role for bioenergy in Australia’s future energy mix.
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor said bioenergy was a renewable energy source created from organic and renewable materials, also known as biomass, producing heat, electricity, biogas and liquid fuels.
“We want to grow this emerging energy source and the roadmap will help to inform future policy decisions in the bioenergy sector,” Mr Taylor said.
“Bioenergy currently contributes up to approximately four per cent of Australia’s total energy consumption, as opposed to approximately seven per cent in other countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.”
He said it was important to support new and emerging energy sources like bioenergy so that Australia could deliver extra energy supply to the market, drive down energy prices and lower emissions.
“The Bioenergy Roadmap will assist with investment decisions by quantifying opportunities where Australia has a competitive advantage in the bioenergy sector,” the Minister said.
He said key issues the roadmap could canvas included: The potential for biofuels to decarbonise the industrial and transport sectors; the potential to contribute to Australia’s liquid fuel security; and opportunities to decarbonise the gas network and bioenergy opportunities for heat, steam and power.
“Leading bioenergy industry stakeholders will be consulted on the development of the roadmap, with broader industry consultations to be held in early 2020 and finalisation of the roadmap by mid-2020,” the Minister said.
He said the roadmap would leverage the existing work undertaken in bioenergy by ARENA and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
He said the Bioenergy Roadmap would contribute to the target of reducing Australia’s emissions to below 2005 levels by 2030.
