This entire debate is de-anchored and now revolves around tiny, not to mention corrupt, numbers like this:
Opponents of Santos’ $3.6 billion Narrabri gas project have attacked assertions from the company and the state government about its benefits for jobs and energy prices, pointing to analysis provided to the NSW government that found manufacturing jobs would actually decline while high prices were needed to make it viable.
Advice provided to the NSW planning department by ACIL Allen, which was commissioned by Santos, estimates the proposed project will have a net negative impact on manufacturing jobs, both at a local level in the Narrabri-Moree region in the state’s north-west, and in the state as a whole.
While total jobs in NSW would rise if Narrabri gas is developed, manufacturing jobs would dip, ACIL Allen found.
This runs counter to Santos’ public commentary that the gas project would lift manufacturing jobs in the region by providing a local source of gas.
The NSW planning department determined the project was “critical” for energy security and would put downward pressure on gas prices, while creating up to 1300 jobs during construction and 200 ongoing jobs.
…But a Santos spokesman said the project overall would mean more and better jobs locally over time, with average full-time jobs rising by 190 each year and real incomes rising.
Why would anybody believe Santos on anything? It’s lied non-stop for years as it helped consolidate the gas cartel.
Moreover, who cares about a few hundred jobs when the cartel is stealing – yes, stealing – money from every single household and business from the Tiwi Islands to Adelaide. The number of jobs that has already cost is countless.
Narrabri gas will arrive in Sydney at $10Gj, above the price it is today and around the post-ADGSM average. Because Narrabri project-by-project domestically reserved, that will enable STO to send more gas from other fields offshore, driving the price of Narrabri gas even higher, unless we import it to prevent that.
How is that going to fix prices or strategic risk?
It will be produced with NO environment safeguards and will be free to dump cadmium-rich toxic salts directly into water tables amid huge fugitive emissions. How does that make gas the transitional fuel to lower environmental impacts?
I mean, we’re sucking on gas here not producing it, for no reason beyond supporting kleptocrats.
