LETA Congratulates CCS Pioneer Professor Peter Cook, AC, CBE, on Australia Day Honour

Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) has congratulated carbon capture and storage (CCS) pioneer Professor Peter Cook AC CBE, who has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Australia Day 2026 Honours List. 

Professor Cook’s AC – awarded for “… eminent service to science as an innovator, pioneer and international expert in the development of carbon capture and storage, to policy development, and to climate change mitigation” – is well-deserved recognition of his decades of service and leadership in developing the scientific, technological, legislative and regulatory foundations of CCS, both in Australia and overseas. 

LETA Chief Executive Mark McCallum said that Peter – a longtime friend of LETA – whose vision, rigorous intellect and determination have been instrumental to the development of the CCS industry and broader greenhouse gas emission-reduction technologies in Australia, has made an extraordinary contribution to the sector. 

His distinguished career spans more than six decades across Australian and international geological, energy and climate institutions. 

“As the inaugural CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) from 2003 to 2011 – a globally recognised centre of excellence in carbon management technology research, commercial demonstration and strategic analysis – Peter was instrumental in leading the coordinated national research effort on CCS and in establishing the Otway International Test Centre. 

LETA has been a long-serving supporter of CO2CRC and is the largest non-government funder of its vital work. 

“Peter’s work continues to this day through his role as a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne and as an advisor to the University’s Peter Cook Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage Research, named in his honour. 

“Peter’s contribution to carbon capture and storage in Australia is without parallel. His leadership, deep scientific insight and unwavering commitment to evidence-based progress have shaped an entire industry and inspired the next generation of researchers and practitioners. We are proud to have worked alongside him and to support the institutions he helped build.” 

“On behalf of LETA’s board and members, I extend my congratulations to Professor Cook AC CBE and acknowledge his enduring legacy in advancing science in Australia’s national interest. Professor Cook’s influence on the CCS sector will continue to benefit Australia for generations.” 

ENDS