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NIMBY lobbies "should be heeded": Senator Campbell – who last month blocked a similar Victorian project allegedly to protect a rare parrot – has frozen federal funds for a wind farm at Denmark on the State’s south coast, saying the State Government should not override community opposition to such projects.

Chosen site "unique": Denying he was "anti wind farms", Senator Campbell said wind turbine projects needed to address the concerns of local residents before they were supported. “Denmark’s pretty unique,” he said.

Greens say Canberra misreading community concerns: WA Greens MP Paul Llewellyn, who had a financial stake in the project, called on Senator Campbell to fix the dispute. "Communities are crying out for positive action on climate change, Minister Campbell does not appear to be listening," Mr Llewellyn said.

The Australian, 26/4/2006, p. 2

Woodside Petroleum chief executive Don Voelte has given the Chinese Government a thinly veiled warning that it will miss out on LNG supplies if it doesn’t respect the market, reported The Australian (25/4/2006, p.21).

Market in need of confidence boost: Speaking during the weekend at the Boao Forum For Asia in Hainan, Voelte said: "In an age of energy uncertainty, markets and market prices should not be viewed with suspicion as sources of volatility and instability."

NWS LNG ready for China: Next month, China’s first LNG receival terminal in Guangdong province will receive its inaugural shipment from the North West Shelf gas project which has signed a 25-year, $25 billion contract to supply 3.3 million tonnes of LNG a year.

But no further sales planned: Despite expectations that the contract would lead to further sales in China, none have been forthcoming, because the market has changed since the Guangdong contract was initialled in August 2002.

Supply to lag behind demand: Voelte said it could take years before investments resulted in sufficient production to meet new demand and "maintain a certain amount of surge capacity". "So in an era which may be subject periodically to tight supply, demand and prices may see some volatility," he said.

No match for 1970s prices: The Woodside chief noted that while spot prices for LNG cargoes followed short-term market trends, long-term contracts for LNG were only now returning to the levels seen in the early 1990s and were still far below the levels they were during the 1970s and 80s.

The Australian, 25/4/2006, p. 21

Rebates were given for about 870 tanks last month, up from 660 tanks in February. That brings the number of rebates from the Brisbane City Council for the installation of rainwater tanks to about 3700 reported The Daily Telegraph

Possible $27/KL cost: Pejar Dam recently held less than 1 per cent of its capacity and the city has not received any decent rain since 120mm in January. Water services manager for Goulburn Mulwaree Council Greg Finlayson said if worst came to worst, the city would cart in water at a cost of $27 a kilolitre, 27 times what Canberrans pay.

Water trucking costs high: "That is a very expensive, last approach. I’m not confident but I very much hope it won’t get to that point. The risks involved in trucking water are significant. For starters, you’ll have a lot of water tankers driving up and down the Hume Highway."

Pejar Dam close to empty: The city is pumping 15 megalitres a day from Pejar Dam with any surplus pumped back into the Sooley Dam. "Pejar Dam is down to a very small pool of water and it will only be a matter of weeks before it gets to a level where we can’t draw from it at all," Finlayson said. "We are at a level we have never experienced before, since 1980 when the dam was built."

Plan B: Sooley Dam: The council has "other strings in its bow", including Sooley Dam, which is being topped up with water from three underground bores. Although the bores are not increasing the amount of water in the dam, which is at 91 per cent capacity, they are preventing it from dropping as a result of evaporation.

Wollondilly pump project underway: Construction is also nearly completed on works to pump water from the Wollondilly River, but the operating rules, set by the NSW Government, are yet to be determined. The water would also be treated.

Recycling options open: The council is about to begin a public consultation process on recycling sewage water so it can be integrated with the water supply during times of emergency.

The Canberra Times, 13/4/2006, p. 11

Small threat to world supply: Chad’s oil exports – 160,000 barrels a day – are small by international standards and have a high sulphur content, reducing their value. But president Idriss Deby appears to be gambling that any threat to the world oil supply, no matter how small, will bring attention to his plight and free up funds he needs to finance his government.

$US125m in oil royalties frozen: In January, the World Bank froze an account with $US125 million ($A171 million) in oil royalties in London, Nasser said. It also cut $A169 million in assistance after Chad changed an oil revenue law passed in 1999 as a condition for the World Bank’s support for the pipeline.

Living standards law changed: Nasser said the World Bank must either release the funds or the operators of the pipeline must compensate the Chadian Government. The law required two-thirds of oil revenues to go toward improving living standards in one of the world’s poorest countries. It also required 10 per cent of proceeds to go into a savings fund to be used when Chad’s oil reserves are exhausted.

$A420m earned so far: An Exxon Mobil-led consortium exported 133 million barrels of oil from Chad between October 2003 and December 2005, according to World Bank statistics. Chad, which receives a 12.5 per cent royalty on each barrel exported, earned $A420 million, the bank said. The consortium invested $A5.7 billion in the pipeline.

Lost royalties demanded: Nasser said the pipeline would continue to operate if the consortium paid the royalties frozen in London and paid future revenues directly to Chad’s treasury.

The Canberra Times, 17/4/2006, p. 9

Source: Erisk Net  

Sheets are transparent: Scientists have developed what they say is a brighter and more efficient alternative: wafer-thin light panels that could cover an entire ceiling, wall, table or even curtain. The sheets are clear, but when connected to electricity they flood a room with light.

Night into day? This means they could one day be installed as windows or skylights which appear normal in the day but then mimic the effect of natural light after dark.

Lighting consumes 20pc of power bills: Figures show more than 20 per cent of the electricity we use in buildings goes on lighting. The invention, called an Organic Light-Emitting Device, is the culmination of a 13-year research program.

The Courier Mail, 15/4/2006, p. 3

For more information on Organic Light-Emitting Device, simply search Google using `Organic Light-Emitting Device’ as your search phrase. 

Source: Erisk Net