ARENA has appointed a consortium of ENEA Consulting and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu to assist in delivering the Bioenergy Roadmap, and announced on Tuesday it had commenced public consultation on the roadmap.
Consultion comes after ARENA previously announced that its Board had agreed to a request from the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor, to invest in the development of a roadmap.
The Bioenergy Roadmap is designed to help inform the next series of investment and policy decisions in the bioenergy sector in Australia - and ARENA says it will be an important input into the Australian Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap and “will potentially help us capitalise on opportunities to enhance Australia’s energy security and further reduce our emissions”.
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The Bioenergy Roadmap, expected to be completed in the second half of this year, and will focus on:
- Quantifying the economic opportunities for Australia, including a focus on regional Australia
- The potential for biofuels to decarbonise the industrial and transport sectors and contribute more broadly to Australia’s liquid fuel security.
- Assessing where Australia has a competitive advantage
- Identifying economic or regulatory impediments to future growth
- Providing clear findings for industry and government to help inform the next stage of development of the sector.
ENEA Consulting and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu are seeking - on behalf of ARENA - to canvas views from a wide range of stakeholders in the bioenergy sector through a series of workshops, direct interviews and an open submission process.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the roadmap is expected to provide clear findings for industry and government to drive outcomes for the development of the bioenergy industry in Australia.
“The development of the Bioenergy Roadmap presents an opportunity to allow industry leaders, researchers and the public to provide insight into the current state of bioenergy in Australia and how best we can grow the sector in the future.
“It will also be an important input into the Australian Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap which will be released for public consultation soon.”
Miller said that over the past 8 years, ARENA has provided approximately $118 million in funding towards bioenergy projects across Australia, and investments to date span electricity and biogas production, biofuels, efficient feedstock harvesting technology and projects that aim to capture energy from a range of waste materials.
Submissions are invited from businesses, research groups, industry associations, community groups and individuals until 5pm AEST on Friday 29 May 2020, with a final report to be provided to the Minister later this year.