As the Luxon Government threatens to build a new LNG import terminal in New Zealand, an explosive new report casts further doubt on the wisdom of that plan.
The ‘Explosive Truths’ report commissioned by Greenpeace delves into the history of LNG accidents, highlighting a lack of transparency, underestimated risks to human safety, and failing safety protocols.
Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Amanda Larsson says, “This report shows that liquefied gas (LNG) isn’t as safe as the industry would have us believe. Due to the flammable and explosive nature of liquefied fossil gas, leaks can result in inextinguishable pool fires, jet fires or vapour cloud explosions.
“On top of locking New Zealand into decades of increased reliance on expensive fossil fuels with an LNG import terminal, and the barefaced denial of climate science that underlies that, an import terminal would also put workers and communities at risk for no good reason other than this Government’s ideological crusade on behalf of the fossil fuel industry.”
Greenpeace slammed the Government in August for its plans to open the door to an LNG fossil gas import terminal, calling it outright climate denial and a generational betrayal of New Zealanders who will suffer the cost for decades to come.
The report outlines how, on top of the intrinsic risk of the industry, the increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events driven by climate change pose heightened risks to LNG facilities. As these events become more common, the potential for accidents increases, complicating emergency response planning and further endangering nearby communities.
“New Zealand is at an energy crossroads right now where we could choose to invest in electrification of transport and industry with more solar, wind generation and more energy storage to give us a future with less risk, less pollution, and cheaper electricity prices,” says Larsson.
In July, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment released its latest electricity supply and demand scenario report, which mapped out a pathway for more solar, wind and batteries with a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and confirmed that there is no need for new fossil fuels to maintain New Zealand’s energy security.
Larsson says, “Choosing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a dangerous liquified gas facility to import fossil gas would just make us more dependent on global fossil fuel markets and lock us into paying the global price for the most expensive energy source when we have the opportunity instead to harness clean, homegrown wind and solar to power our future.”
Greenpeace has launched a petition calling on the Government to embrace New Zealand’s Clean Energy Future, invest in solar and wind, and reject new fossil fuel electricity generation and a new fossil gas import facility.
We call on the Govt to embrace New Zealand’s Clean Energy Future, invest in solar and wind, and reject new fossil fuel electricity generation and a new fossil gas import facility.
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