Glencore rejects National Farmers Federation comments on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as irresponsible

posted: 30/11/2023

Media statement
Brisbane, Australia

Comments by the National Farmers Federation (NFF) about Glencore’s CTSCo project are irresponsible and misleading.

Despite calling on the Government to listen to the experts, the NFF is ignoring the scientific data and relying on alarmist rhetoric to intimidate regulators.

Glencore’s CTSCo Project is seeking approval to test inject around 100,000 tonnes of food grade carbon dioxide (CO₂) at depths of 2.3 kilometres in the Surat Basin in Queensland for three years. Glencore is not proposing to inject 'coal mine waste' underground; the source of the carbon dioxide is a coal-fired power plant.

CCS has been recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) as a critical technology for mitigating emissions and necessary for contributing to a global clean energy transition and the achievement of Net Zero by 2050.

Here are some key facts about the CTSCo Project:

The CTSCo Project is based on robust scientific fieldwork, data and analysis, and has involved review from expert third-party institutions.
The carbon dioxide we are seeking approval to inject underground will be food grade (like the CO₂ you find in soft drinks).
The Great Artesian Basin is not an isolated or uniform water source; it is made up of both potable and non-potable aquifers with varying water quality levels.
The Precipice Sandstone aquifer identified by CTSCo for carbon dioxide storage is 2.3 kilometres underground – this is much deeper than the aquifers currently used for agriculture in the region. Not a single agricultural producer is currently drawing or using water from this aquifer within 50 kilometres of CTSCo’s proposed storage site.
The aquifer’s water quality is brackish with very high fluoride levels. The fluoride levels are six times higher than the drinking water guideline for human consumption.
The CTSCo Project is not expected to impact any current or future groundwater users of the Great Artesian Basin.
Key aspects of the CTSCo Project have been independently reviewed by third-party independent experts, including the Australian Government Independent Expert Scientific Committee (IESC), the Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) and CSIRO.
For any future large-scale CO₂ storage, CTSCo would have to apply for a new storage lease and undertake approval processes that would be specific to a new lease, including an environmental impact statement.
The CTSCo Project team has consulted openly and transparently with the local communities and agriculture sector during this process and will continue to do so.

It is extremely disappointing that the NFF has chosen to make public comments based on neither science nor fact.

For further information, please contact:

Francis De Rosa
m: +61 417 074 751
e: Francis De Rosa

Nikki Accornero
m: 0417 779 631
e: Nikki Accornero

Notes for editors

About Glencore

Glencore is one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer and marketer of more than 60 commodities that advance everyday life. Through a network of assets, customers and suppliers that spans the globe, we produce, process, recycle, source, market and distribute the commodities that support decarbonisation while meeting the energy needs of today.

With around 140,000 employees and contractors and a strong footprint in over 35 countries in both established and emerging regions for natural resources, our marketing and industrial activities are supported by a global network of more than 40 offices.

Glencore's customers are industrial consumers, such as those in the automotive, steel, power generation, battery manufacturing and oil sectors. We also provide financing, logistics and other services to producers and consumers of commodities.

Glencore is proud to be a member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Council on Mining and Metals. We are an active participant in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

We recognise our responsibility to contribute to the global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement by decarbonising our own operational footprint. We believe that we should take a holistic approach and have considered our commitment through the lens of our global industrial emissions. Against a 2019 baseline, we are committed to reducing our Scope 1, 2 and 3 industrial emissions by 15% by the end of 2026, 50% by the end of 2035 and we have an ambition to achieve net zero industrial emissions by the end of 2050.

For more information, visit our Publications page to see our 2022 Climate Report.

About Glencore Australia

In Australia, Glencore produces coal, copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, lead and silver from 23 mining operations. We also operate metals processing assets in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, including metals smelters, concentrators and refineries.

We are among Australia’s largest producers and marketers of natural resources, connecting Australian resources with industrial customers around the world. Through our diverse portfolio, we responsibly supply the resources that advance everyday life.

We employ 18,190 people in Australia and in 2022 contributed nearly $20 billion to the regional, state and national economies. This included spend of $10.4 billion with 7,370 businesses across the country, as well as $7.5 billion in government tax and royalty payments.

We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace for our people, to respecting the environment, to engaging openly and constructively with the Traditional Owners on whose lands we operate and to bringing value to local communities.

Glencore recognises our responsibility to contribute to the global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Our ambition is to be a net zero total emissions company by 2050. In August 2021 we increased our medium-term emission reduction target to a 50% reduction by 2035 and introduced a new short-term target of a 15% reduction by 2026.

Learn more about Glencore Australia.