The Griffith Asia Institute third Australia Japan Annual Dialogue will be held 12-13 November 2013 in Brisbane on the topic "Energy Security: Challenges and Opportunities".
Australia and Japan are highly dependent on bilateral energy trade – Japan for energy security, and Australia in order to boost its trade balance. The Fukushima disaster resulted in a shock to Japan’s energy system, similar in scale to the 1973 oil crisis. In both the immediate and longer term, with most nuclear reactors remaining idle, the shock has caused a change in the structure of energy demand, with fossil fuels resuming a higher share. Australia is Japan’s largest supplier of coal and uranium, and second largest supplier of LNG, occupying a crucial position in Japan’s broader energy security strategy as a stable and reliable regional supplier. As of 2011, Australia’s share in Japan’s energy imports stood at 65 per cent for coal, 30 per cent for uranium and 18 per cent for LNG, respectively.
In 2011, Australia’s overall energy exports were valued at $68 billion, of which approximately 35 per cent (or $24 billion) headed to Japan. This amounts to half of Australia’s total exports to Japan. This makes Japan the most important energy export market for Australia by some margin.
With various new Japanese-backed LNG projects currently under development in Australia, the mutual interdependence is bound to grow over the next several decades. At the same time, there is a shift in energy structure in both countries. In Japan, nuclear power is likely to play a diminished role; in Australia, in order to reduce carbon emissions, the government aims to move away from coal as a major source of power generation. Consequently, opportunities exist where the two countries can cooperate in the development of alternative energy sources.
The aim of this event is to promote dialogue between Japanese and Australian experts from both public and private sectors with a view to raising awareness of the future opportunities and respective challenges facing both countries in the area of energy security. Cooperation between Australia and Japan can make a very significant contribution to mutual efforts to improve energy security and combat climate change. This dialogue seeks to identify new ways in which Australia and Japan can work together to address growing and interrelated challenges. Finding new avenues for joint work can thus make a broader contribution to a stronger bilateral relationship for decades to come.
To register for this event please go to: http://www.griffith.edu.au/business-government/griffith-asia-institute/partnerships-collaboration/the-australia-japan-project/energy-security-challenges-and-opportunities
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RSVP
RSVP on or before Monday 4 November 2013 , by email m.thorley@griffith.edu.au , or by phone (07) 3735 7624