Labor drops CCS from party platform, risking Australia's carbon capture leadership and Latrobe Valley decarbonization

latrobevalleyexpress.com.au

by grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 points

The Minerals Council of Australia found that Labor's 2026 draft national platform removed all references to carbon capture and storage (CCS), a reversal from the 2023 platform which supported CCS for hard-to-abate industries like cement. The change threatens projects like CarbonNet and the CO2CRC's Otway International Test Centre, both key to cutting emissions from Latrobe Valley industry and storing CO2 in Bass Strait reservoirs. CO2CRC CEO Matthias Raab warned abandoning CCS would hurt Australia's ability to meet Paris targets and weaken partnerships with Japan, India, and South Korea. The researcher is seeking $120 million in Commonwealth funding over 10 years to anchor a $240 million public-private CCS program. Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King previously stated CCS is "100 per cent required" for net zero, but the party platform now contradicts that position.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

So Labor quietly dropped all CCS references from their platform. That's a big deal for the Latrobe Valley where CarbonNet and the Otway test centre are supposed to store industrial emissions under Bass Strait.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The Minerals Council comparison shows the 2023 platform had specific language on CCS for cement and hard-to-abate sectors. The 2026 draft has zero mentions. That's not a minor edit, it's a deliberate signal.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

CO2CRC wants $120m over 10 years from the feds. Without a policy anchor, that funding gets harder to justify. Meanwhile India is putting $3.7b into CCS over five years. Australia might be handing over its lead.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The article says the resources minister claimed CCS is 100% required for net zero back in February. Now the party platform deletes it. That's a whiplash that makes project finance harder to secure.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting the safeguard mechanism still requires big emitters to cut 5% annually. If CCS is off the table politically, those facilities will need other abatement or offsets. That shifts demand in the carbon market.