AECR 2024 Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources 2024
Australia is a key energy exporter with a strong and diverse mix of energy resources that contribute to the nation’s energy security and prosperity and support the transition to net zero.
Australia’s conventional liquid hydrocarbon resources include crude oil, condensate and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Australia’s coal resources are world class in volume and quality, with vast resources of both black and brown coal.
Australia has a major share of the world’s uranium and thorium resources.
Australia has extensive world-class energy resources that can support the development of a clean hydrogen industry and assist with decarbonising Australia’s economy.
Carbon capture and storage is one of the technologies that can help to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere.
Geothermal energy is an emerging industry in Australia, with a resurgence of interest in exploration across the country.
Development of new energy sources requires reliable and consistent estimates of how much energy is available at potential development sites.
Chief Executive Officer’s Introduction
Welcome to the fourth edition of Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources (AECR).
The 2024 edition of AECR, like its predecessors, provides consistent and comparable data on non-renewable energy resources and reserves for Australia’s energy commodities.
While Australia and the world continue their shift to clean, renewable energy, we will need secure energy supplies and traditional energy resources will continue to have an important role to play.
AECR 2024 demonstrates that during the calendar year of 2022, Australia remained a significant and important energy provider to the world with a diverse range of energy resources.
Australia maintained its position as one of the world’s top Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exporters, and world’s largest exporter of metallurgical coal.
For the first time, AECR includes information on the status of geothermal energy – a renewable energy resource in Australia. Australia has recently seen a resurgence of interest in geothermal energy, evidenced by an increase in permit applications.
AECR 2024 also shows continued growth in investment in projects targeting production of hydrogen and the geological storage of both hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
This is in addition to clean energy projects expanding across Australia to meet the growing domestic and global demand for resources that help to achieve the net zero emission target by 2050.
AECR plays a vital role in providing a snapshot of Australia’s energy resources, as well as emerging opportunities to help further decarbonise our economy. Key to this continued growth, is to deepen our understanding of Australia’s unique geology and the resources that lie beneath our feet.
This has led to the Government’s 35-year generational investment in precompetitive geoscience, announced in Budget 2024-25, through the Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative.
Under this initiative, our top geoscientists are providing a detailed understanding of Australia’s prospectivity and potential for the resources essential for supply chains and green technology today and into the future.
I am proud of Geoscience Australia’s role in delivering this important work.
Dr James Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
Geoscience Australia
Contact Details
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia: the Hon Madeleine King MP
Secretary: Meghan Quinn PSM
Geoscience Australia
Chief Executive Officer: Dr James Johnson
Geoscience Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past and present.
Geoscience Australia has tried to make the information in this product as accurate as possible. However, it does not guarantee that the information is totally accurate or complete. Therefore, you should not solely rely on this information when making a commercial decision.
Geoscience Australia is committed to providing web accessible content wherever possible. If you are having difficulties with accessing this document please email clientservices@ga.gov.au.
© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2024.
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and where otherwise noted, this product is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
This product is provided subject to the Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability in section 5 of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. Therefore, you should not solely rely on this information for any purpose.
eCat ID: 149666
Acknowledgements: The authors would like to acknowledge contributions from the following Geoscience Australia staff: Ryan Owens, Keith Bradey, Andrew Cross, Andrew Feitz, Adrian Hitchman, Alanah Hughes, Aleks Kalinowski, Claire Patterson, Eric Tenthorey, Barry Bradshaw, Tom Bernecker, Kristina Anastasi, Travis Ashe, Bailey Clarke, Chris Evenden, Kristen Hannan, Dominique Hounslow, Julia Jones, Silvio Mezzomo, Daniel Rawson, James Warr, Susan Wall, Douglas Warouw.
The National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) is also acknowledged for providing basin aggregated offshore oil and gas resources and production data for year-end 2022.
Bibliographical reference: Geoscience Australia, 2024. Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources, 2024 Edition. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. http://dx.doi.org/10.26186/149666. Digital publication