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Italy’s Eni plans to develop ‘carbon bomb’ gas field offshore Australia, challenges its emissions reduction plans, and could use funds from sustainability bond issue to finance it

May 08, 2023

May 4, 2023 (IEEFA) – Italian energy firm Eni is planning to develop one of the most carbon dioxide (CO2) intensive gas fields in the world that will be used for LNG exports, with an intention to sanction later this year the Evans Shoal gas field offshore the northern Australia coastline.

Not only will the Evans Shoal field, which has been renamed Verus and boasts CO2 levels of 27%, challenge Australia’s ambitions to reduce national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43% by 2030 below 2005 levels, it will also hamper Eni’s own ambitious CO2 reduction target of net zero by 2035 for all emissions generated from extracting and producing oil and gas.

There have been many plans for the Evans Shoal project over its 35-year history. This latest plan will be subject to Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism meaning Evans Shoal/Verus will be subject to higher carbon costs than other gas fields given the CO2 average content of 27% in the field and make it potentially one of the largest CO2 facilities under the mechanism.

Eni has promoted itself to investors as a leader among oil and gas producers to reduce emissions. The Italian investing public embraced their ambitions by subscribing €2 billion into Eni’s first sustainability-linked bond issue to retail investors in January where funds could be used to develop Verus and millions of CO2 a year – hardly a sustainable activity.

As greenwashing claims have become a focus for regulators in the United States, Europe and Australia, Eni’s sustainability credentials should not only come under greater regulatory scrutiny but investors should also be asking questions.

 

Read the report: Eni’s Verus Not So True On Net Zero – Italian Retail Investors Buying Into Dirtier Australian Gas

Media contact: Amy Leiper [email protected] +61 (0) 414 643 446

Author contacts: Kevin Morrison [email protected] Christina Ng [email protected]

About IEEFA: The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) examines issues related to energy markets, trends, and policies. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy. (ieefa.org)

Kevin Morrison

Kevin Morrison is an Energy Finance Analyst, Australian Gas. Kevin works closely with the global oil and gas team to examine issues facing the Australian LNG and gas sector.

Prior to joining IEEFA, Kevin worked for more than 30 years as a financial journalist for Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald, the Financial Times (FT) and Argus Media. Half of this working period was covering the energy and resources sector both in Australia and the UK.

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Christina Ng

Christina Ng oversaw a team of financial analysts that provide debt market analysis covering Asia Pacific. Her research of interest includes trends and issues in green and transition finance, policies and regulations, with a focus on the energy sector.

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