Enhancing Australia’s energy security and sustainability: the case for domestic hydrocarbon fuel production from natural gas

Alberto Boretti ()
Additional contact information
Alberto Boretti: Independent Scientist

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2025, vol. 45, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Australia’s heavy reliance on imported crude oil and refined petroleum products poses critical challenges to energy security, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability. A strategic shift toward domestic fuel production using locally sourced natural gas through advanced Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) technology presents a viable alternative. GTL fuels offer superior quality, lower lifecycle CO2 emissions, and enhanced economic value while reducing dependence on volatile global supply chains. This study compares the lifecycle emissions of domestically produced GTL fuels with imported refined fuels and explores the potential for renewable energy integration to further minimize environmental impact. Additionally, it critiques the current policy of widespread importation of smaller vehicles, arguing for the prioritization of robust, fuel-efficient vehicles better suited to Australian conditions. Findings suggest that a transition to domestic fuel production, combined with strategic energy policies, can align environmental goals with national interests. Such an approach not only strengthens Australia’s energy independence but also challenges the enduring colonial economic structures embedded in its current fuel strategies.

Keywords: Gas-to-Liquids (GTL); Hydrocarbon fuels; Lifecycle CO2 emissions; Renewable energy integration; Energy security; Domestic fuel production; Australian natural gas; Sustainable transport policies; Fuel quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10669-025-10046-x Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:envsyd:v:45:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s10669-025-10046-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.springer.com/journal/10669

DOI: 10.1007/s10669-025-10046-x

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Environment Systems and Decisions from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().