LNG is expensive, unsafe, impractical and not needed,
according to a publication issued recently by the
Sustainable Energy Forum.
“A number of reports, some
commissioned by the Government, have questioned the need for
LNG in New Zealand” said guest author of the special edition
of SEF’s Energy Watch Journal, energy analyst Steve
Goldthorpe.
“However, the Government seems determined
to press ahead, announcing it wants to have contracts signed
before the election”, he said.
The SEF publication
considers economic, geopolitical, safety, and greenhouse gas
issues in some depth. It explores why LNG is considered
critical for NZ and where the LNG might come from. It
concludes that the import of LNG is unnecessary and
strategically undesirable.
A key finding of the
publication is that Port Taranaki is impractical for
locating a large LNG terminal, and that the assurances
provided by MBIE that LNG is non-hazardous are not
valid.
“Of particular concern to the residents of New
Plymouth is the dismissal of safety issues by the
government” said Alan Thatcher, Convenor of the Sustainable
Energy Forum. “Nowhere in the world are new large LNG
terminals being built so close to a residential area”.
Special legislation will ensure the New Plymouth community
would have no input into the project.
The publication
“LNG – Why? – How? – Where? – What if? – and Why Not?” is
available at: https://www.energywatch.org.nz/issues/EW87_8-2026.pdf
Further
information: sef.org.nz
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