Cost of “preposterous” fracked gas pipeline could balloon to $10 billion, locking in higher bil... - Renew Economy

The cost estimate for a proposed gas pipeline has blown out to as much as $10 billion, with critics calling the project "preposterous". The article cites concern that locking in this infrastructure will commit Australia to higher gas bills for decades, even as renewable generation expands.

Where this fits

This is a cost story dressed as a gas story. It shows what happens when you build a grid around weather-dependent renewables: you need firm power to back them up, and when that firm power is gas, you're buying both the generation asset and the delivery infrastructure. The pipeline cost is not a gas problem; it is a renewables problem. A firm, dispatchable alternative like nuclear would need no such transport penalty and no long-term fuel exposure. Instead, Australia has locked itself into dependence on gas firming by law, and is now discovering the real price of the transition path it chose.

What it means

A $10 billion pipeline is real money that does not appear in renewable energy cost comparisons. Whole-system costings must include the firming, the transmission overbuild, and the gas infrastructure that renewables force into the grid. For Australia's energy security, this matters twice over: the project locks in reliance on fossil fuels for decades, and gas price exposure puts Australian manufacturing and households at the mercy of global commodity markets. A firm, domestic, uranium-fueled alternative exists and would avoid both the infrastructure duplication and the fuel price volatility. It remains illegal to build.