Lessons Learned from Australian Infrastructure Upgrades

This report fulfils Deliverable Five for Research Project 2.1-01 of the Future Fuels CRC. The aims of this project, Crystallising lessons learned from major infrastructure upgrades, are to provide a report on lessons learned from earlier infrastructure upgrades and fuel transitions, and identify tools that can be used to develop consistent messaging around the proposed transition to hydrogen and/or other low-carbon fuels. In both the report and the toolkit, there are recommendations on how to apply lessons learned and shape messaging, throughout the value chain, based on prior infrastructure upgrades.

This report presents three Australian case studies that that are relevant to the development of future fuels: the transition from town gas to natural gas, the use of ethanol and LPG as motor fuels, and the development of coal seam gas resources. Drawing on published information, each case study provides an account of the issues that arose during the upgrade or transition, and of the approaches through which industry and government stakeholders managed these issues. From these accounts, lessons are identified that can guide stakeholder engagement in future infrastructure upgrades and fuel transitions. The findings from the case studies and academic literature have been used to develop an accompanying draft toolkit for use by FFCRC stakeholders.

The report also distils applicable lessons and frameworks from academic literature about stakeholder analysis, megaprojects, and the social acceptance of industries and technologies. This report is meant to be used in conjunction with a companion toolkit that provides a framework for making coordinated decisions across the fuel value chain.

You can read the full report on the Future Fuels CRC website here