Outback mayors oppose basin carbon capture project
Mayors have joined the push to end a proposed Great Artesian Basin carbon storage project.
Outback mayors have called on state and federal governments to reconsider plans by a mining company to store carbon dioxide waste from a coal-fired power station in the Great Artesian Basin.
The carbon capture and storage proposal by Swiss-based Glencore has been opposed by farmers who say the underground water source is too precious to risk.
Glencore subsidiary Carbon Transport and Storage Corporation has rejected the concerns, saying the trial project on Queensland’s Darling Downs is based on “robust scientific fieldwork, data and analysis”.
Burke mayor Ernie Camp, whose Gulf of Carpentaria shire relies on the basin’s underground water, said the proposal was “too big a gamble to take”.
“If we didn’t have the Great Artesian Basin, most of Queensland would be running no stock and bringing no value to the state economy,” Mr Camp said. “I think it is a little bit ridiculous.
“I don’t think it matters how much guarantee they will give us, it is too great a risk. In a lot of areas, it’s the only source you’ve got.”
Mr Camp is one of five mayors to speak out against the CTSCo project, including Banana Shire mayor Nev Ferrier, Western Downs mayor Paul McVeigh, Etheridge Shire mayor Barry Hughes and Murweh Shire mayor Shaun Radnedge.
It comes after the Local Government Association of Queensland, which represents the state’s councils, in October voted unanimously to call on the Queensland government to reject any carbon capture and storage proposals involving the Great Artesian Basin.
“Due to a significant proportion of Queensland relying on water resources from the Great Artesian Basin, communities have concerns regarding the proposed project, particularly for those communities which rely on the GAB for potable water supply,” LGAQ chief executive Alison Smith said.
“As such, councils want the federal and state government to adopt a precautionary approach and not allow carbon capture and storage projects to be approved in the Great Artesian Basin.
“This is of particular importance as several regional council organisations use GAB bores for their potable water source.”
CTSCo has said the carbon dioxide being stored in the aquifer was “food grade” and would not impact existing or future groundwater users.
Queensland lobby group AgForce is preparing legal action to force Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reconsider a 2022 government decision that the project was not a “controlled action” – requiring thorough departmental scrutiny – under environmental protection legislation.
Mr Hughes said the basin, which covers 22 per cent of the continent, was the lifeblood of the outback.
“Under no circumstances should it be compromised in any way,” he said.
“It is the support mechanism of the grazing industry, of the tourism industry, it is an integral part of sustaining regional and rural communities. To have any idea of putting carbon back into the Great Artesian Basin is non-negotiable.”
Among concerns are potential acidification of groundwater and the creation of leakage points between layers of the basin.
CTSCo says carbon capture and storage is proven technology and that dozens of large-scale facilities around the world are already sequestering more than 40 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
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