Dirty facts behind the ‘clean coal’ pipedream
March 15th, 2007
The major parties remain wedded to coal-fired electric power, pinning their last hopes on the ‘clean coal’ theory. But even if collecting, transporting and burying coal’s greenhouse emissions one day turns out to be possible and affordable, the stuff still has to be mined and transported.
On a round trip from Kooragang Coal Terminal to Mt Arthur mine, near Muswellbrook, each coal train burns at least 3,200 litres of diesel (about 1,000 litres empty on the down and 2,200 loaded on the up) and around 40 litres of engine oil, for a net load of 7,800 tonnes of coal.
There are also currently about 70 coal ships queued up waiting to get into the port, predicted to rise to 90 by April.
In contrast, the sunlight delivered to a solar thermal power plant arrives free, every day.
But what about the economic consequences of phasing out coal power generation?
That’s a furphy too. Greens Senator Bob Brown recently noted just one example of the economic cost of our government’s one-eyed fixation on old technology: in 1989 Australia produced about the same number of solar electric panels as Japan. Now, Japan supplies 50% of world demand while we supply only one percent.
And to think we once had dreams of being ‘the clever country’.
PS The NSW Liberals appear to have lifted our solution of a solar thermal power station at Moree. However their allocated budget of $40 million would supply only a small proportion of Sydney’s power needs. Still, it’s an example of how a principled minor party with good ideas can influence the major players.
Picture: A 1.3km long coal train near Mayfield in Newcastle
heads towards the coal loader.
