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Indicator: LD-11 Total energy value of land-based energy fuels from non-living sources produced in Australia

Data

Australian Energy Production

	1973-74 PJ	1980-81 PJ	1990-91 PJ	2001-02 PJ	2002-03 PJ	2003-04 PJ
Black coal	1464	2325	4396	7282	7331	7615
Brown coal	263	312	484	669	654	658
Crude oil and condensate	858	854	1182	1336	1233	1031
Naturally occurring LPG	54	79	94	122	124	123
Natural gas	172	416	840	1388	1444	1468
Uranium	-	1066	2063	3782	4399	4529
Renewables	198	207	239	257	266	265
Total	3008	5260	9298	14837	15451	15690

Source: ABARE 2005, Australian Energy Consumption and Production 1973-74 to 2001-02, viewed 8 Jun 2006, http://www.abareconomics.com/

• Energy update 2005 (PDF - 666 KB) 
• Australian energy supply and disposal, 2000-2004 (Excel - 179 KB) 

More detailed information can be found in:

• Energy in Australia (PDF - 1990 KB) 

Australian Energy Supply and Disposal also provides energy production in PJ by energy fuel (black coal, brown coal, crude oil and petroleum products, natural gas and uranium) every year since 1973-74 and in summary back to 1960.

Source: ABARE 2005, Australian Energy Statistics: Excel Files: Australian Energy Supply and Disposal — Energy Units, viewed 16 May 2006, http://www.abareconomics.com/

• Energy in Australia (PDF - 1990 KB) 

All of Australia's coal is mined from terrestrial sources, as is all of Australia's uranium. Total energy produced from land sources of black coal, brown coal and uranium has increased from 1727 PJ in 1973-74 to 3703 PJ in 1980-81 (the first year uranium was produced) to 12802 PJ in 2003-2004.

About 27% of Australia's natural gas came from terrestrial sources in 2001-02, slightly down in proportion (but up in quantity) from 29% in 1990-91. Less than 4% of Australian oil came from terrestrial sources in 2002-2003, down from 10.5% in 190-91.

On the basis of these data the following trend in the contribution of the land to energy production can be derived.

ENERGY FROM NON-LIVING TERRESTRIAL SOURCES

	1990-91 PJ	2001-2002 PJ
Black coal	4396	7282
Brown coal	484	669
Uranium	2063	3782
Natural gas	243.6	374.8
Petroleum	124.1	53.4
TOTAL	7310.7	8379.2

What the data mean

Energy supply from all non-living terrestrial sources except petroleum has increased in the last ten years.

Data Limitations

The extent of the land's non-living contributions to human energy supply is not environmentally significant in its own right but provides a baseline for tracking changes in the contribution of energy fuels from land sources to human life which may result from either the declining condition of the resource or from societal responses to that decline. It will be useful to track changes in the quantity of energy produced from various sources against future declines and/or improvements in the aspects of the land environment that are vulnerable to degradation, including degradation as a result of energy fuel extraction, production and use.

Changes in the energy contributed from terrestrial, non-living sources needs to be viewed in the context of energy contributed from living terrestrial sources (see contributions from agriculture) and energy contributed from marine sources.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Land - Contributions of land to human life - Non-living materials from the land 

The energy value that the land is currently contributing to human life is one way of tracking the contributions of land-based materials derived from non-living sources to human life. (For biofuels, see Land: Contributions to human life: Living materials from the land . For energy from marine sources, see Coasts and Oceans: Contributions to human life: Non-living material (materials and energy fuels)).

The indicator includes both exported and domestically consumed energy, since the exported products contribute to national income.

Other indicators for this issue:

• LD-12 Quantity and dollar value of raw materials from non-living terrestrial sources 
• HS-48 Material Flows in Human Settlements 

Human Settlements - Pressures created by human settlements on the environment - Energy use 

A substantial proportion of the energy used, and consequential pressure on the environment, in human settlements in Australia derives from terrestrial sources, primarily coal mining but also gas, firewood and other biofuels.

Other indicators for this issue:

• HS-31 National energy use 
• HS-33 Energy use by sector 
• HS-34 Energy use in transport 
• HS-36 Percent of energy derived from renewable sources 
• HS-37 Energy use per capita and per unit of GDP 
• CO-10 Total energy production from the Australian marine environment 

Human Settlements - Services provided by the environment to human settlements - Minerals (including non-renewable energy sources) 

Energy from both terrestrial and marine sources provides an essential contribution to human settlements.

Other indicators for this issue:

• LD-12 Quantity and dollar value of raw materials from non-living terrestrial sources 
• CO-10 Total energy production from the Australian marine environment 
• CO-47 Quantity and dollar value of raw materials from non-living marine sources