Dangers in gaslighting the debate over energy crisis

Andrew Liveris suggests that the solution to the current gas energy crisis in Australia is a 15 to 20 per cent domestic reserve plan (“Government ‘should breach gas contracts’ ”, 6/6). However according to Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher, companies are already supplying as much gas as the east coast pipeline can receive and that no additional capacity is presently available. If Gallagher is correct the problem would appear to be far more serious than Liveris suggests, and might involve an expensive upgrade of the total east coast pipeline network.

Fred Black, Windsor, Qld

Having reached the stage in their lives where money is a non-issue, some Australian billionaires claim moral superiority to give justification to their various pursuits and dreams, like turning Australia into a fairyland of windmills and solar farms in the cause of climate utopia (“The rise of woke capitalism harms national interest”, 6/6).

Apart from the impacts such schemes are having on the average family budget where money is still an issue, dig beneath the surface and you’ll see that adding to their wealth rather than saving the planet remains a significant driver. Both Andrew Forrest and Mike Cannon-Brookes are campaigning to end the fossil fuel industry in Australia, which may well improve the chances of their hydrogen and gigantic solar farm ambitions. A new era of enlightenment or darkness and poverty?

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

Energy Minister Chris Bowen meets with state namesakes on Wednesday (“Race to keep the lights on”, 6/6).

It will be important to ensure that any mechanism to “keep ageing coal-fired power and gas power stations open longer” does not put a brake on Labor’s policy to upgrade and modernise the grid or strengthen the safeguard mechanism. This would not be accepted by Australians who voted strongly for climate action.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

If Australia had decided 20 years ago to build nuclear power plants instead of banning them, we would by now have had cheap and reliable electricity for 10 years – instead of a power crisis and the teals (and others) saying “nuclear plants take 20 years to get up and running; too long; too late”. If we don’t decide now to build nuclear plants, in 10 years’ time we will be having an even greater power crisis.

Don Higson, Paddington, NSW

Amy Hiller asserts that renewable energy resources are cheap (Letters, 6/6). The evidence doesn’t support this. Germany has led the world in transitioning to renewables yet its electricity prices are the highest in Europe.

It’s easy to see why. Germany needs to sustain conventional power to compensate for the intermittency of wind and solar. So Germans pay for two sets of generating infrastructure. Since the share of energy provided by fossil fuels fell from about 84 per cent in 2000 to only 78 per cent in 2019, Germans will pay that transition premium for decades to come.

Had nuclear energy formed the core of Germany’s approach, the transition would not only have been far cheaper, it would have been quicker and with a guaranteed result.

W. McColl, Roseville, NSW

There should be no surprise that attempts to shut down coal-fired energy generation have led to shortages. Sadly, it is also no surprise that those climate activist Labor/Greenies, who caused the problem, have no plan to keep the lights on. Even more unfortunate is the increased likelihood of a colder, not warmer, winter coming up. Their ideology will result in us living in the cold and dark.

Graham Pinn, Maroochydore, Qld

Despite the gas industry’s claims that we need more new gas projects to meet domestic demand, it needs to be noted that 72.7 per cent of Australia’s gas is exported overseas, with only 7.4 per cent of our gas used for domestic electricity generation. This highlights that Australia does not have a problem with gas supply; instead, it has a problem with gas exports.

With the surge in global coal and gas prices, we need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and their volatile market prices. The best way is to ramp up investments in renewable energy and accelerate the electrification of households to get off expensive gas. Coincidentally, not only is the shift from gas good for our wallets; it is great for the climate and our planet too.

Ching Ang, Magill, SA