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Presented by HC Coombs Policy Forum

National Energy Security Assessment Methods Advancement Project (NESAMAP) scoping workshop

Tuesday 10 May 2011, 9am – 4pm
Jean Martin Room, Level 3, Beryl Rawson Building #13, Ellery Crescent, ANU

The HC Coombs Policy Forum is organising a high-level scoping workshop which will launch a project aimed at supporting the methodological advancement of Australia’s National Energy Security Assessment.

Background

The National Energy Security Assessment (NESA) aims to provide an integrated picture of Australia’s energy security position. NESA was launched following an election commitment in 2007. The inaugural 2009 NESA focused on the supply of, and demand for, liquid fuels, natural gas and electricity both currently and in the short to long-term.

The tight timeline for preparing the 2009 version of NESA necessitated the use of readily available information and limited the scope for developing a formal methodology with associated metrics. An update of the 2009 NESA is currently underway and a qualitative approach continues to be the primary method of assessment for the 2011 NESA. It is now possible to enhance the utility of NESA in the longer term by considering opportunities to provide expert input into the methodology used to generate these conclusions.

The HC Coombs Policy Forum is a think tank funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) and operates as a strategic partnership between the Australian Government and the Australian National University (ANU). The Forum seeks to further enhance the role of the ANU in providing policy-relevant advice to the Australian Government. In the energy domain the Forum works closely with the new Energy Change Institute (ECI) at the ANU. ECI draws together a wide range of researchers with expertise in different aspects of energy technologies and policy.

Project aims

The aim of the National Energy Security Assessment Methods Advancement Project (NESAMAP), funded by the HC Coombs Policy Forum and carried out in partnership with the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (RET), is to provide a source of ideas, information and an arena for informed debate to support the future evolution of NESA. In line with the HC Coombs Policy Forum’s distinctive mission, this will be an exploratory project with sufficient flexibility and responsiveness to meet evolving government requirements.

NESAMAP will provide RET with:

Project timeline, organisation and governance

It is anticipated that the initial phase of NESAMAP will run from 1st May 2011 to 30th April 2012, with an initial intensive engagement in the first few months, and the option to continue the project should RET require this. The project will be organised to be flexible and responsive and will be governed by a Reference Group consisting of the Executive Director of the HC Coombs Policy Forum and (initially) nominated representatives from RET and DIISR. Representatives from other departments and agencies are eligible to join the Reference Group on request and at the discretion of RET and the ANU.

Purpose of the scoping workshop

The purpose of the scoping workshop is to kick-start the NESAMAP process by:

  1. identifying desirable attributes for metrics to use in Australia that align with other nationally and trans-nationally used methods whilst also meeting Australian Government and stakeholder requirements;
  2. considering current best practices worldwide in carrying out national energy security assessments;
  3. on the basis of the above, developing a road map for future research, development and demonstration/testing of energy security assessment metrics of use to future NESAs, and;
  4. prioritizing an initial phase of work on the NESA metrics advancement roadmap.

Background reading

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