Energy in Australia

Around 50 per cent of Australia’s gas was produced for the domestic
market, with the remainder exported as liquefied natural gas (LNG). The
share of production for the domestic market has fallen from 71 per cent
only a decade ago, with exports increasing at a faster rate than domestic
consumption.
Figure 7.4: Australia’s gas balance
80
70
60
Bcm
50
40
30
20
10
1974–75 1979–80 1984–85 1989–90 1994–95 1999–00 2004–05 2009–10 2014–15
Consumption a Exports Production + imports
Notes: a) Includes statistical discrepancies
Source: Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (2015) Resources and Energy Quarterly, Australian
Energy Statistics, Tables M, N and Q
Domestic consumption
Australian gas consumption has been growing robustly, by 3.7 per cent
a year on average over the past decade. The growth in gas consumption
reflects greater uptake of gas in electricity generation, and use in mining
and industry. Natural gas consumption in Australia was 1,402 petajoules
in 2013–14, equal to 24 per cent of energy consumption.
This share of energy consumption varies between states and territories,
with half of Western Australia’s energy sourced from natural gas and
48 per cent in the Northern Territory. In the eastern market, natural gas
accounted for 18 per cent of energy consumption in 2013–14.
ENERGY IN AUSTRALIA 2015 83