Australian Energy Resource Assessment

The Australian Energy Resource Assessment examines the nation's identified and potential energy resources ranging from fossil fuels and uranium to renewables. The assessment reviews the factors likely to influence the use of Australia's energy resources to 2030, including the technologies being developed to extract energy more efficiently and cleanly from existing and new energy sources.Australia has an abundant and diverse range of energy resources. It has very large coal resources that underpin exports and low-cost domestic electricity production, more than one third of the world's known uranium resources, and substantial conventional gas and coal seam gas resources. These can support Australia's domestic needs and exports for many years to come. Identified resources of crude oil, condensate and liquefied petroleum gas are more limited and Australia is increasingly reliant on imports for transport fuels.Australia has a rich diversity of renewable energy resources (wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, wave, tidal, bioenergy) with low greenhouse gas emissions. With the exception of hydro and wind energy (which is growing strongly) many of these resources are largely undeveloped, constrained by the current immaturity of technologies. The expected advances in technology by 2030 will allow them to make a growing contribution to Australia's future energy supply.Australia's energy consumption pattern is expected to change significantly by 2030. While fossil fuels (coal, oil and increasingly gas) will continue to dominate the energy mix, renewable energy sources, notably wind, are expected to become increasingly more significant.Chapter 1 is an executive summary of key assessment findings. Chapter 2 presents an integrated synthesis of all Australia resources and markets. Individual resource chapters each consider world and Australian resources and markets, examines key factors in utilising the resource, and the resource and market outlook to 2030.The Australian Energy Resource Assessment was undertaken jointly by Geoscience Australia and the <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares">Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE)</a> at the request of the <a href="http://www.ret.gov.au">Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism</a> as a contribution to future energy policy.Bibliographic reference: Geoscience Australia and ABARE, 2010, Australian Energy Resource Assessment, Canberra.

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