India energy ties help strategic balance Canavan tells forum

Queensland Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says business links with India are strategic links and the biggest business is energy. Senator Canavan told the inaugural Australia-India Chamber of Commerce Queensland Division meeting that coal exports to the sub-continent were as essential to Australian security as they were to lifting India’s population out of poverty. Related: India partnership a boost for critical minerals sector The strategic need was self-evident, ,Senator Canavan said. Queensland National Party Senator Matt Canavan “If we do not develop our coal and gas to meet India's needs, we can't complain if India has to strengthen ties with the Middle East and Russia to help lift its people out of poverty. “If we do not develop our coal and gas, the bullies of the world will be strengthened and the world will become a more dangerous place. “We should celebrate the opening of a new Australian coal mine as striking a blow for world peace. “Russia has expansive plans to build pipelines to transport gas, and rail lines to transport coal, to China and the subcontinent.” Related: Figures back strong Indian coal market, says Adani Fossil fuels had the leverage to influence geopolitics, Senator Canavan said. “The best thing that Australia could do to help counter Russia's aggression is to expand energy production in the liberal democracies of the world,” he said. “As the world's largest LNG and coal exporter, Australia has a key role to play and that includes working with India to help you reach its development goals. “This is now not just an economic strategy to help grow our respective economies but it is a national security imperative. “It will be much better for world harmony if peaceful, democratic nations can control the energy required to fuel their societies. In fact, at this moment perhaps we should rename fossil fuels, freedom fuels. They are that important.” Indian coal demand rising Demand for both thermal and coking coal were increasing rapidly and Australia was in the best place to meet that demand, Senator Canavan said. “The World Bank predicts that over the next few decades almost 300 million Indians will move to cities,” he said. “That will require more than 10 million square metres of new housing. To build that, around one billion tonnes of steel will be required, and 800 million tonnes of coking coal is needed to make that steel.” Thermal coal exports to India have grown by factor of nine in two years and India should be encouraged to invest in gas and coal production to ensure a stake in production Senator Canavan told the conference.

India energy ties help strategic balance Canavan tells forum

Industry Queensland

Related News

Master plan sets scene for Great Keppel Island growth

New Bottletree results confirm continuity of mineralisation

29Metals committed to Capricorn Copper future

Get access to breaking mining news, now.