Carbon capture and storage will be banned throughout the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) in Queensland under new landmark laws to be brought in by Premier Steven Miles.
The move comes after the state’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation recently blocked a plan to pump more than 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the GAB.
On Friday, Mr Miles will announce his government will legislate to permanently ban carbon capture and storage activities within the expansive region.
The new laws will make clear that greenhouse gas storage or the injection of a greenhouse gas stream into underground formations within the GAB will be prohibited.
“I think the GAB’s unique environmental, agricultural, economic and cultural significance is worth protecting,” Mr Miles said.
“It’s why I will be legislating to prohibit carbon capture and storage projects in the GAB here in Queensland.
“I’ve listened to Queenslanders, and I am making sure our government is doing what matters for the natural phenomenon that is the GAB.”
The government says carbon capture and storage will still be allowed in other parts of the state subject to existing assessment and approval processes.
The new laws are expected to be introduced and passed by the Queensland parliament before the state election in October.
“We will continue to review the safety aspects of greenhouse gas storage in the state to support future generations of Queenslanders and to ensure Queensland’s great natural environment is preserved,” Mr Miles said.
Project recently blocked
Glencore subsidiary CTSCo had previously put forward a proposal to inject up to 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year into the Precipice Sandstone aquifer in the GAB as part of a three-year trial.
The plan was last week rejected by the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation after the state regulator deemed the proposal was not suitable to proceed due to its potential impacts on groundwater resources.
Glencore said the decision to block the proposal was disappointing, and suggested the move meant the government had effectively banned carbon capture and storage projects in Queensland.
“It’s a missed opportunity for Queensland and sends mixed messages on emissions reduction to industry who are looking to invest in low-emission technologies, including [carbon, capture and storage],” the company said last week.
The Local Government Association of Queensland had been pushing the state government to introduce a moratorium on carbon capture and storage projects within the GAB.
Murweh Shire Mayor Shaun “Zoro” Radnedge applauded the government’s decision to put a ban in place.
“In the Murweh Shire … we are 100 per cent reliant on the Great Artesian Basin,” he said.
“In 2010 to 2019, we had nine years of severe drought [and] limited rainfall.
“And the only thing that kept us realistically sustainable … is that we had a water source that we could rely on.”
The Queensland government recently legislated emissions reductions targets of 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, 75 per cent by 2035, and net zero by 2050.
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