Part of very good article on a fuel-security strategy, by Peter Newman and Ray Wills
Gabrielle Dean
This is a cut-down version of a very encouraging article that appeared in The Conversation on 8th May. The whole article is well worth reading and very accessible. If you google "The Conversation 8th April 6 Things" you’ll find the article and I’ve put a link at the end (which is almost as long as the essay itself! )
6 things a credible fuel plan should include
by Peter Newman Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University
and Ray Wills Adjunct Professor, The University of Western Australia
A credible fuel-security strategy for Australia must ensure provision of short-term liquid fuel stocks, especially for critical services such as freight and farming as well as remote communities and defence. But it must go much further than that. It should include:
A clear timeframe to electrify most new road transport vehicles, supported by strong fuel efficiency and emissions standards so Australian vehicles no longer lag the world.
A program to boost uptake of electric trucks, following China’s example. Megawatt charging stations or battery swapping sites will be needed, and requiring service stations to have truck chargers could help.
Accelerate renewables and storage deployment so that clean local energy pushes out largely imported oil and gas.
Use EVs and stationary batteries to boost energy resilience in a coordinated way. The large batteries of EVs can act as movable storage able to power communities and critical infrastructure during supply shocks or power outages due to extreme weather. Large batteries could be delivered by train.
Accelerate use of Australian-produced biofuels such as canola oil to replace jet fuel and the bunker fuel used by large ships. Build supporting infrastructure in ports and airports.
Plan for the orderly decline of oil. Ensure any extra fuel reserves are targeted, modest and focused on genuine national interest uses, rather than prolonging business-as-usual use of petrol, diesel, jet fuel and bunker fuel.
Business as unusualIn response to global uncertainty, the Albanese government has effectively promised a return to normal in its focus on economic resilience, productivity and cost of living pressures.
That’s risky, given we don’t know when – or if – normal will ever return.
It would make much more sense to take a clear-eyed look at how oil imports make Australia vulnerable.
The clean energy transition is well under way across Australia’s power grids. But the government has yet to release a plan linking this to the energy security of our transport systems.
If Australia is to be secure amid uncertainty, leaders cannot double down on the highly vulnerable supply chains which put us in this position. Real fuel security means shifting away from foreign fuels as quickly as possible.
We should measure our progress not just with how many days of fuel we have, but in how many petrol and diesel cars, trucks and trains, and even tractors and headers, have been replaced with electric versions. Over time, we can measure progress for planes and ships running on biofuels and batteries.
The first step is to change our thinking. Rather than focus on managing our dependence on oil, we need to think about how to end it.