How the Law Contributes to Protecting Energy Infrastructure from Extreme Weather Events: An Australian Case Study

Australia is a land of rich energy resources. The age and location of Australia’s stationary energy infrastructure means that energy may be generated at great distance from where it is finally consumed. Energy supply can be interrupted for many reasons, including from extreme weather events that are expected to arise more frequently with climate change. Academic literature about the role that law should play in Australia’s response to climate change adaptation, has only had limited engagement with energy infrastructure. Nevertheless there are several ways that the law could contribute to better protecting energy infrastructure: including by imposing requirements on operators to create guidelines or actions plans for responding to imminent threats of extreme weather and by restricting activities that can be carried out in locations that are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather. This chapter explores how law can contribute to protecting energy infrastructure from extreme weather, by analyzing laws and regulations relevant to emergency management, disaster preparedness, and energy infrastructure. It concludes that an integrated approach to regulating energy infrastructure will be better suited to address challenges, than the current approach, which is fragmented across different levels of governments and different areas of law.