Queensland Proposal To Inject Liquified CO2 Into The GAB Must Be Rejected

Livestock SA has joined a growing number of industry and community voices calling for a proposed Queensland carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) to be abandoned.

Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation Pty Ltd (CTSCo), a subsidiary company of Glencore, proposes to inject liquified carbon dioxide (CO2) into a usable GAB aquifer representing a significant threat to one of Australia’s greatest natural resources and subsequently the businesses, communities and bioregions reliant upon it.

Livestock SA CEO, Travis Tobin said the CTSCo CCS project has industry and community alarm bells ringing, not only in Queensland, but in all GAB states.

“The notion of injecting what is essentially industrial waste into a usable water resource is extremely concerning and governments must collectively act to prevent this from happening.”

“The GAB is one of the largest underground freshwater resources in the world generating $13 billion in value to the national economy every year. It is the lifeblood of many rural communities and has immense environmental value.”

“Here in South Australia, GAB water supports the pastoral, mining, petroleum and tourism industries, which are collectively worth more than $3 billion annually to the state.”

“We understand that CCS technology continues to develop and that it potentially provides a way for hard to abate sectors – such as resources, energy and manufacturing – to address emissions from existing assets.”

“But CTSCo’s extraordinary Surat Basin CCS proposal must not proceed and some clearly defined boundaries around the underground storage of CCS products must be put in place to protect the nation’s largest groundwater basin.”

“CTSCo’s proposed trial is unprecedented and there are genuine concerns regarding the lack of scientific evidence underpinning the project.”

“If approved, the project would also set a precedent for future interest in using the GAB for CCS purposes, which raises further concerns.”

“On the driest inhabited continent in the world, the Queensland Government must exercise the precautionary principle and reject this project.”

ENDS

Media Contact:
Hannah Trevilyan, Communications and Membership Manager, 08 8297 2299