Courier Mail
Tuesday 20/1/2009 Page: 24
THE viability of Queensland's $125 million clean coal project is under serious doubt because of the Rudd Government's plans for an emissions trading scheme. The ZeroGen Project plans to capture CO2 emissions and bury them underground, but has complained that the trading scheme would not only fail to inspire investment for projects like the one proposed for central Queensland, but its system of licensing emissions would unfairly penalise it.
In a letter to Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, pictured, ZeroGen chief executive Anthony Tarr said the company would be forced to pay for permits to emit CO2 during its development stage whereas "the dirtiest coal generators in Australia are given permits for free". ZeroGen refused to comment yesterday as the question marks over the project took on a political edge, with the Opposition claiming the scheme was on the brink of collapse.
"The Rudd Labor Government's promises to support clean coal technology have been exposed as a sham," Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said. "Labor has refused to provide ZeroGen, Australia's only commercial clean coal project, with a level playing field on emissions permits, driving the central Queensland venture to the brink of collapse."
A spokesman for Mr Ferguson said ZeroGen was one of several Australian low emission coal projects potentially eligible for assistance from the Government's $500 million Low Emission Coal Fund and the Global Carbon Initiative.
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