Climate Council urges tougher emissions rules for coal and gas expansions
Reputex modelling estimates 22 planned expansions and extensions could emit 11 times more under existing-facility rules than under new-facility limits.
The Climate Council wants coal and gas mine expansions to face the emissions standards applied to new facilities, warning that different treatment under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism allows additional pollution.
The council says retaining that distinction would add 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2035. Chief executive Amanda McKenzie said the rules encouraged companies to describe developments as expansions instead of new facilities.
About 200 facilities fall under the mechanism, which generally requires emissions to be reduced or offset by about 5 per cent each year, with heavy penalties for non-compliance. New coal and gas facilities face tighter limits based on the most efficient available mining technologies, but expansions and life extensions do not have to meet those standards.
Reputex modelled 22 coal and gas expansions and extensions planned over the next decade. It estimated their permitted emissions would be 11 times greater when classified as existing facilities than if the developments were subject to new-facility requirements.
The Minerals Council of Australia supports retaining the mechanism despite the Coalition's promise to abolish it. The industry body says the policy is reducing emissions as intended, but opposes tougher reduction requirements after 2030.
The industry argues that expansions rely on infrastructure already in place, while new facilities can invest in more efficient technology. The Climate Council says operations unable to meet the tighter standards should not seek to expand.
The mechanism is under review. A spokesperson for Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said the government's reforms were working well and no changes to current settings had been decided. The department was consulting stakeholders, the spokesperson said.
