Australia mulls LNG export controls

The recent energy supply crisis has resulted in a political backlash against the nation’s gas exporters

The Australian government is considering measures to restrict exports of LNG. But the country’s gas industry is urging caution. Competition watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)—which has overlapping staff and facilities with the national energy market overseer, the Australian Energy Regulator—issued a forecast predicting the country’s populous east coast could face a 56PJ gas supply shortfall in 2023. The outlook “has significantly worsened” says ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb, and the commission is "recommending the resources minister initiate the first step of the Australian Domestic Gas Security Mechanism [ADGSM]". The mechanism is “a measure of last resort wh