The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) is urging the Federal Government to recognise the multiple long-term benefits of investing in renewable bioenergy and bioeconomy technologies and manufactured products in Australia, in a post CoVid-19 world economy,
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction the Hon Angus Taylor’s release today of the ‘Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper’ highlights the Government’s recognition that long term planning, innovative policy and investment certainty is needed to develop emission reducing technologies that Australia will need heading into a lower carbon future.
AFPA Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton said, “With this Discussion Paper, Mr Taylor has started an important process of evolving Australia’s economic environment to be more resilient in a lower carbon future, and allowing industry and all levels of government to more effectively partner and play a significant role in reducing emissions and supporting Australia’s economy in a post CoVid-19 world.”
“Bioenergy and the bioeconomy are key technology streams that need to be both developed and supported over the long-term in the Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap. Uniquely, bioenergy can deliver baseload power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, unlike many alternative renewables. Investing in bioenergy projects supports regional jobs and downstream economic activity, and it is well suited to many existing regional wood and paper product manufacturing sites across Australia.”
“Wood fibre is a sustainable biological resource that produces renewable wood and paper products, including emerging new and innovative bioproducts like biomaterials, biochemicals and bioenergy,” Mr Hampton said.
“These bioproducts, apart from replacing existing products manufactured from fossil fuels, also provide multiple economic, social and environmental benefits, including stored carbon in growing trees and renewable wood and paper products, economic activity, and regional jobs. In addition, relative to alternative building materials and other products, wood and bioproducts have very low embodied energy, with very low fossil fuel energy inputs used in their production,” Mr Hampton concluded.
The original media release is here:
