Tripodi’s clean coal smoke screen demolished by Four Corners
Media release: 7 September 2009
The Rees government’s plans to entice the private sector to build two new coal-fired power stations that are ‘carbon capture and storage’ ready have been exposed by revelations that the technology is not likely to be commercially available until 2040, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
Commenting on ABC TV’s Four Corners report ‘The Coal Nightmare’ (Monday 7 September, 8.30pm), Dr Kaye said: “Finance Minister Joe Tripodi is trying to hide a massive 57 percent increase in the state’s electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions behind the hope that the plants will some day be fitted with equipment to capture and bury the CO2.
“Clean coal technology does not exist.
“The growing body of expert opinion is that it will not be commercially available for another 20 or 30 years.
“Even then it could be prohibitively expensive and too late to save the planet from disastrous global warming.
“In the meantime, if Joe Tripodi’s massive power station building program goes ahead, it will boost the state’s emissions by 30 million tonnes of CO2 each year.
“That’s the equivalent of another 7 million motor vehicles on the road or twice the emissions from all existing private vehicle transport in this state.
“The Rees government is hoping no one will notice that the only thing that stands between their electricity privatisation plans and a blow out of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions is the clean coal story and it has just been demolished,” Dr Kaye said.
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455
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