Age
Monday 16/6/2008 Page: 5
OFFSETTING the Victorian desalination plant's contribution to climate change will add $42 million a year to its electricity bill, a new analysis shows. The report by Environment Victoria, the state's peak conservation lobby, says the size of the bill reflects the massive energy demands of the plant, to be built near Wonthaggi in west Gippsland.
If run on coal-fired electricity, the plant would pump out 1.048 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - equivalent to pollution from about 250,000 family cars. The State Government has promised to buy green energy to offset its energy use. According to Environment Victoria's analysis, the plant would require the equivalent of five new wind farms to be "carbon neutral." It estimates this would more than double the electricity bill from about $36 million a year to about $78 million.
Environment Victoria campaigns director Mark Wakeham said the most transparent way to ensure the plant operators offset its greenhouse gas emissions in full would be to make them buy 100% green power. "It's a complex area and there is some ambiguity in what the Government is saying. It is vitally important that the Brumby Government clearly outlines how the Wonthaggi project will be offset by renewable energy," he said. The environmental lobby opposes the $3.1 billion desalination plant, arguing it is expensive and high-polluting. Water Minister Tim Holding responds the Government is acting swiftly to meet the state's needs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment