The JEC made a submission to the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s (DCCEEW) discussion paper on opportunities for a renewable fuel industry in NSW.
The JEC supports the adoption of a principles-based framework prioritising electrification to reduce demand for and use of fossil gas, both domestically and for export. This should include an assessment of the sustainability, economic viability, and environmental impact of ‘renewable’ fuels.
We submit the use of renewable fuels should be targeted only to energy use requirements where no more efficient and effective decarbonisation alternative (such as electrification) will exist in the short to medium term.
The development of a domestic ‘renewable’ fuel industry is justified only insofar as it contributes to the most rapid, efficient, equitable and affordable decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industrial sectors and supports the achievement of NSW’s emissions reduction targets.
