Welcome to the June 2019 issue of the NEEA Report, providing a comprehensive, up-to-date indication of key electricity trends in Australia.

Key Points:
+ The government has belatedly released the National Inventory Report 2017 and December 2018 National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Quarterly Update and they show concerning upward trends in emissions from coal and gas extraction.

+ Emissions arising directly from the coal and gas industries in Australia made up about 15% of all national emissions in 2017.

+ Australia’s total emissions increased by 1.0% between 2016-17 and 2017-18 and are likely to increase by a further 0.3% between 2017-18 and 2018-19.

+ Recent sharp increases in stationary and fugitive emissions are largely explained by the boom in extraction of both conventional natural gas and coal seam gas, and the processing of this gas to LNG for export.

+ From 2005, emissions from transport have increased by 23% and mining has driven worrying increases in non-electricity stationary energy emissions of 30% and fugitive energy by 55%. Meanwhile, industrial processes, agriculture and waste have all decreased slightly (around 6%) and electricity has decreased rather more, by about 10% from 2005, and 17% from a peak in 2009.

+ In Queensland, diesel, gas and electricity used to extract and process coal and gas in total emitted over 18 million tonnes CO2-e in 2016-17. This equates to 23% of the state’s total emissions and 7% of Australia’s total emissions for that year.

+ Diesel consumption has risen nearly 50% between 2011 and 2018 and is responsible for the increase in petroleum emissions. Consumption and thus emissions of petrol and LNG have been falling slowly and jet fuel has increased slightly. Most recently, diesel consumption fell in four successive months, from January to April this year. The last prolonged fall in diesel consumption in Australia occurred in 1991, when it was associated with economic recession.