Australia’s gas-led recovery dream faces supply wake-up
Canberra’s flagship post-Covid energy policy faces headwinds from a looming supply shortfall
Australia’s southern states could see a supply shortfall of up to 30PJ (equivalent to 2.2mn m³/d) as soon as 2024, according to the most recent Gas Inquiry 2017-2025 interim report from competition watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The commission also warns the government’s expanded heads of agreement (HoA) with LNG exporters—which ensures that uncontracted gas must first be offered to domestic buyers on “competitive market terms”—is unlikely to be enough to bridge that gap. Indeed, while noting a decline in wholesale gas prices over the past year, the ACCC says the country needs to build import capacity if it wishes to avoid a price spike that will hurt loc
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
