Tuesday 23rd March 2021

Australia's longest gas pipeline life expectancy reduced. 

Australia's longest gas pipeline has had its expected lifespan slashed due to renewable energy that could make the business unviable decades ahead of schedule.

Experts say that because of changes are underway in fossil fuel industries, the Dampier-to-Bunbury gas pipeline owners want to bring it's effective end of life forward from 2090 to 2063 to dramatically shorten the depreciation schedule.

Customers including Alinta and Wesfarmers have flagged their opposition to the bid, saying it would add tens of millions of dollars in extra costs to users' bills over the next five years.

Gas from the pipeline is used by some of the country's most prominent industrial players, including aluminium giant Alcoa. It is also used to produce about 40 per cent of the electricity for WA's largest power grid.

Mr Bowen of the law firm Jackson Mcdonald specialising in energy, said, 'The proposal was significant in a global context because it showed how radically the economics of fossil fuels were being reshaped.'

However he also noted that it will result in higher prices on the pipeline if the Economic Regulation Authority agrees to this.

View the full story on the ABC website.

Melbourne Laboratory explosion leads to $1.5m enforceable undertaking. 

An explosion at the CSIRO Clayton Laboratory in 2017, which caused minor injuries to a researcher and explosive damage to the building, has seen CSIRO enter into an enforceable undertaking with Comcare. The CSIRO will spend $1.5 million to implement a range of workplace health and safety improvements.

A Comcare investigation into the explosion led to CSIRO facing four criminal charges for allegedly failing into its duties under the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).

Comcare's Head of Regulatory Operations, Justin Napier said, 'This is a strong commitment that will deliver significant improvements at high-risk CSIRO operations across Australia.'

The legal undertaking also includes technical guidance to support hazard identification in high-risk environments for new projects and equipment at CSIRO and the wider research industry. The safety improvements will be completed over 18 months.

The full story can be found on the NSCA Foundation website.