The safeguard mechanism, established under the former Coalition government in 2016, requires industrial facilities that generate more than 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year, such as coal mine sites, gas plants, aluminum smelters and cement producers, to meet baseline emissions caps.
Baseline emission limits are intended to be progressively lowered, but critics say limits have been so high that the policy is ineffective.
“If you look at sectors such as cement, or iron, steel, or chemicals there’s significant analysis that says that reaching net zero in economies is likely to need [carbon capture and storage] and hydrogen to get there,” said Mr. Beck.
In December, processing engineering firm KC8 Capture Technologies said it will construct and install a demonstration plant to capture carbon dioxide at one of Australia’s largest cement producers, as Cement Australia comes under growing pressure to reduce hard to abate emissions.
Mr Beck joins APPEA from the World Bank where he established carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) programs in Nigeria, South Africa and elsewhere. His World Bank role also involved low-carbon hydrogen, assessing domestic production and use opportunities as well as export potential in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
Before joining the World Bank, Mr Beck worked at the IEA, where he focused on mapping the role of CCUS in global climate mitigation efforts as well as informing the development of CCUS legal and regulatory frameworks around the world.
APPEA chief executive Samantha McCulloch said the appointment boosted the industry’s clout in developing emissions reduction technologies and underscored how seriously the sector took its obligations.
“As a major investor in emissions reduction technologies including CCUS and renewables, the oil and gas industry is committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” Ms McCulloch said.
“With gas having a wider role in the future, Brendan’s work will be important in examining the different ways gas and the technologies the industry excels in can accelerate emissions reductions.