Emissions from clearing

Question

Can the Department inform the Committee whether it has calculated the greenhouse-gas emissions arising from permanent clearing and disturbance associated with Queensland Great Dividing Range wind-farm developments, including turbine pads, hardstands, laydown areas, concrete batching plants, substations, transmission corridors and the extensive haul-road network? Specifically, has the Department estimated: 1. the loss of existing above-ground vegetation carbon; 2. the loss or disturbance of below-ground biomass and surface soil carbon; 3. emissions from decomposition, burning, erosion or removal of cleared vegetation and disturbed soils; and 4. the foregone carbon-storage potential from areas permanently cleared or permanently impacted by turbine pads, hardstands, laydown areas, substations, transmission corridors and haul roads, including any assumed future biomass increase under CO2 fertilisation, woodland thickening or natural regrowth processes? 5. If these calculations have not been undertaken, how can the Commonwealth be confident that the claimed emissions benefits of these projects have been assessed on a full land-sector carbon basis?

Answer

Please see the attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• SQ26-000622.pdf (opens in a new tab)