September 12, 2012 - 1:00am

Claims that coal seam gas (CSG) power is more polluting than coal are exaggerated, but without proper accounting and performance standards it will not have a place in Australia's clean energy future.

Gas is often seen as the bridging source into a clean energy future, given its lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal. However demand for gas, especially via CSG production, is growing at an unprecedented rate in Australia and urgently requires accounting and performance measures.  

This paper finds that CSG has lower emissions than coal, and less even than some conventional natural gas. However, if CSG production increases as predicted, additional emissions from it could reach 12-23 million tonnes of CO2-e in 2020.

To access the media release click here.