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L'Australie vise un stock d'un milliard de litres de carburant face aux risques de pénurie

E.N. source Reuters Publié le 06/05/2026

Canberra annonce un plan pour renforcer ses stocks stratégiques de carburant et réduire sa dépendance aux importations.

Face aux tensions mondiales, l'Australie va consacrer 10 milliards de dollars australiens (environ 7,2 milliards de dollars américains) au renforcement de ses stocks nationaux de carburant et à la création d'une réserve stratégique détenue par l'Etat, a annoncé ce mercredi le Premier ministre Anthony Albanese. Ce dispositif permettra de porter les stocks à environ un milliard de litres, soit l'équivalent d'au moins 50 jours de consommation sur le territoire.

L'objectif est de mieux protéger l'économie australienne contre d'éventuelles perturbations, dans un contexte international marqué par des tensions persistantes. Fortement dépendante des importations, qui représentent près de 80% de sa consommation, l'Australie a été confrontée à des pénuries localisées depuis le début du conflit au Moyen-Orient. A ce jour, ses réserves obligatoires, équivalentes à environ 30 jours de consommation, reposent principalement sur des stocks détenus par des acteurs privés.

"Le budget fédéral de la semaine prochaine comprendra un programme dédié à la sécurité et à la résilience énergétique", a indiqué Anthony Albanese lors d'une conférence de presse. "Il s'agit de garantir aux Australiens une plus grande confiance dans la protection de notre souveraineté énergétique, non seulement pendant cette crise mais aussi à l'avenir", a-t-il ajouté.

"Répondre aux ruptures d'approvisionnement régionales"

Dans le détail, le plan prévoit notamment 3,2 milliards de dollars australiens pour financer la constitution de la réserve stratégique, en particulier pour le diesel et le carburant aérien. "Notre réserve de sécurité sera conçue pour répondre aux ruptures d'approvisionnement régionales et aux besoins des utilisateurs essentiels en cas de nouvelle crise", a précisé le Premier ministre australien.

En parallèle, l'obligation minimale de stockage imposée aux importateurs et raffineurs sera relevée de 10 jours supplémentaires, pour un coût estimé à 34,7 millions de dollars australiens. Le gouvernement prévoit également d'allouer 7,5 milliards de dollars sous forme de prêts, garanties et soutiens de prix afin de financer les infrastructures de stockage et l'approvisionnement en carburants et engrais.

Jusqu'ici sans réserve publique nationale

Le ministre de l'Energie, Chris Bowen, a souligné que l'Australie figurait jusqu'ici parmi les rares pays de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie à ne pas disposer de réserve publique. "Nous disposerons désormais d'une réserve gouvernementale d'environ un milliard de litres, venant s'ajouter aux stocks obligatoires du secteur privé", a-t-il affirmé, saluant "un changement majeur et positif".

Si l'initiative est globalement bien accueillie, notamment par l'association des automobilistes NRMA, qui y voit un renforcement de la sécurité nationale, certaines voix restent critiques. "Le gouvernement ne devrait pas être un acteur du marché", estimé Tony Wood, expert du programme énergie du Grattan Institute, plaidant plutôt pour un renforcement des obligations imposées au secteur privé.

Fortescue begins construction on 690MW solar farm in Pilbara

Staff Writer | May 25, 2026

Fortescue has begun construction on the 690MW Turner River solar farm in the Pilbara region, as well as the 650MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at its flagship Cloudbreak mine.

These projects form part of Fortescue’s rapidly expanding integrated renewable energy ecosystem to power its Pilbara operations, the Australian iron ore miner said in a press release on Monday.

According to Fortescue, the Turner River solar farm represents the final solar installation required to deliver the company’s Real Zero decarbonization plan. Once complete and combined with the Solomon Airport (440MW), Cloudbreak (190MW) and North Star Junction (100MW) solar farms, Fortescue will have delivered all solar generation required to achieve Real Zero across its terrestrial iron ore operations.

Together, the projects will generate more than 1.4GW of renewable energy capacity – enough to power around half a million Australian homes, the company said. Construction of the Turner River solar farm is expected to be complete in 2028, with over 1 million solar panels to be installed during the build.

Meanwhile, the Cloudbreak BESS is targeted for completion in the 2027 fiscal year, delivering 74MW of power for a period of approximately eight hours. The system is expected to comprise 124 battery units integrated directly into the Cloudbreak solar farm.

Fortescue also completed commissioning of two battery energy storage systems at Eliwana and North Star Junction, strengthening the delivery of firm renewable power across its Pilbara operations.

Fleet electrification

At the same time, Fortescue is rapidly electrifying its mobile mining fleet, with 16 electric excavators and an electric drill already operating across its iron ore operations. Around half of the company’s excavator fleet will be electric by the end of 2026, it said.

Fortescue’s first battery electric haul truck is also expected to be operational before the end of the year. Its first in-house developed 6MW fast charger has commenced commissioning and will support the rollout of battery electric haul trucks across the Pilbara, the company said, adding that the charger will be capable of fully charging a haul truck in approximately 30 minutes.

Facility testing of XCMG’s prototype battery electric wheel loader, dozer, grader and water cart is also in the final stages, with the equipment preparing to make the journey from China to the Pilbara for site testing, it added.

Decarbonization efforts

“While others are still debating whether decarbonization is possible, Fortescue is getting on with building what’s needed to do it,” Fortescue’s metals and operations CEO Dino Otranto said in a news release.

“The technology is here. The economics are improving every year. And anyone watching global fuel markets can see exactly why electrification and renewable power matter more than ever.”

Construction also continues on the 133MW Nullagine wind farm, which will further diversify Fortescue’s renewable energy mix, the company noted.

Fortescue has already constructed more than 480 kilometres of high-voltage transmission infrastructure across the Pilbara. Once complete, the network is expected to extend beyond 620 kilometres, physically connecting Fortescue’s renewable energy assets to its mines, rail and port operations.

“Our solar farms, transmission lines, wind generation and batteries are being built right now across the Pilbara. We are moving first because the economics, the technology and the national interest are all pointing in the same direction,” Otranto said.

Australia's 344-Million-Barrel Oilfield Could Finally Get the Green Light

By Michael Kern - Jun 05, 2026

After years of delays, Australia's largest undeveloped oil project could progress to a final investment decision in 2027 as the energy crisis amid the Iran war has heightened the need of homegrown resources.

Carnarvon Energy Ltd, a junior explorer that holds 10% in the Dorado oil discovery offshore Western Australia, believes that a final investment decision to develop the project could be made in late 2027, Carnarvon's chief executive Philip Huizenga told Bloomberg in an interview on Friday.

Australian energy giant Santos is the operator and majority holder with an 80% stake, while Taiwan's CPC holds the remaining 10% equity in Dorado, an oil discovery made in 2018 and estimated to contain gross 2C contingent resources of 344 million barrels of oil equivalent.

“Dorado has come right back to the top of Santos’ thinking. It’s an oil project at a time when there’s a need for energy security in Australia,” Carnarvon’s Huizenga told Bloomberg.

Santos hasn’t signaled an FID, but it said in its investor briefing day last week that the Bedout Basin, which contains the Dorado discovery, would be appraised for scale with three wells in 2027 to test the integrated oil and gas prospects in the northern part of the basin.

Dorado, the largest undeveloped oil project in Australia, is a high-return, short payback-cycle project, and has the potential to provide increased energy security, according to Santos.

An initial development would involve the production of oil and condensate through a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, while a second phase would entail gas production to backfill Santos’ domestic gas infrastructure in Western Australia.

Despite the fact that it is a major gas and LNG producer, Australia relies on imports for most of its transportation fuel supply. The situation became worse after a fire broke out at one of the only two refineries in the country.

Since 2013, Australia has permanently closed five out of its seven refineries, which has increased its reliance on imported fuel. But the Iran war and the fuel crunch in Asia led to extraordinary measures in Australia such as halving the fuel excise on gasoline and diesel for three months and securing shipments of diesel and gasoline, including from Brunei, South Korea, and even China.