Geothermal energy is a readily available, reliable, zero-emissions resource that provides numerous advantages in a balanced energy portfolio, as well as societal and environmental benefits, that can help Australia meet its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050.

Renewable energy projects are central to achieving Australia’s decarbonization objectives: electricity is the largest source of emissions in Australia, at ~33% of the national total. Recent trends have seen substantial decreases in power-related generation in the past decade; however, existing and planned wind, solar and battery storage projects are not capable of offsetting planned retirements of thermal power plants – especially when considering anticipated increases in electricity demand and baseload supply issues. Supply shortfalls and grid reliability issues represent serious risks to safe, secure, clean and affordable energy.

Geothermal resources address these issues by providing flexible, dispatchable, baseload power that complements solar and wind projects by providing “always-on” power, supplementing those significant, but intermittent resources. Furthermore, geothermal is highly scalable, allowing fit-for-purpose power solutions, including behind the meter provision, “islanded” grids in remote areas, and baseload or dispatchable supply to the grid in more populous areas.

This talk provides an overview of geothermal energy in an Australian context, including next-generation technologies that have transformed the global industry over the past decade; the benefits and challenges that will shape the sector in the coming decades; and critical commercial, regulatory, ESG and other success factors that will drive geothermal energy as a significant component of Australia’s decarbonized future.

CCS project maturation in Australia has seen highs and lows since it was first initiated 1999 with the GEODISC study. Changes in government support and market forces have seen periods of greater activity (notably 2008-2011 with state and Federal support for CCS to address coal emissions thorough the CCS Flagships program) through to the doldrums of the 2010’s with the removal of both CCS incentives (carbon tax and meaningful emission reduction schemes)  and wholesale government support through funding.

The 2020’s saw a change in public sentiment and the setting of corporate, state and national Net Zero 2050 targets which supported a renewed interest in CCS in Australia, this time linked to emission reduction from LNG gas processing, hard to abate industries and the rise in third party CCS as a service hubs.

In this talk Rosie will give a look back on CCS in Australia, give a view of the current status of projects and potential future trends.

Ticket Prices:

Member (Early Bird): $40.00

Non-Member (Early Bird): $60.00

Member: $50.00

Non-Member: $70.00

Early bird pricing ends Thursday (1 week prior) at 5pm (AWST). All ticket sales close at 5pm Tuesday (2 days prior).