Greens NSW senate candidate Lee Rhiannon said that Prime Minister
Gillard’s climate change policy has already been derailed in NSW with
plans for major coal fired power stations well advanced in this state.
(SMH page 7)
“The Prime Minister’s promise that never again will ‘a dirty power
station (be) built’ is wrong as the proposed Mt Piper and Bayswater
plants can still go ahead under her plan,” Ms Rhiannon said.
“These new plants will increase NSW’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“These projects, along with a possible 13 other power stations, are
advanced in the planning process and exempt from new carbon pollution
standards.
“The Prime Minister foolishly has also backed clean coal in her
climate change policy. Carbon capture and storage is a marketing term
not a real technology. Relying on clean coal would gamble the future
of the climate on fossil fuel industry spin.
“If the Prime Minister wants to salvage her climate change credentials
she needs to take on the NSW Labor government over its fossil fuel
power plant expansion plans.
“Ms Gillard can easily demonstrate that NSW must scrap its fossil fuel
power plant plans. Recent data from the Australian Energy Market
Operator shows that NSW has sufficient baseload capacity for reliable
electricity supplies beyond 2016.
“The massive new Mt Piper and Bayswater plants in NSW, which will
together potentially add 4,000 MW of coal-fired power also have
‘concept approval’ and therefore are unlikely to be subject to the
Gillard proposals.
“The new coal-fired stations backed by the NSW government will
increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17.2 per cent.
“While the NSW government implies that both of the new plants could be
gas rather than coal powered this is seen as improbable. The distance
from Mt Piper to the nearest gas supply will condemn it to being a
coal-fired project.
"The Prime Minister will continue to lose credibility on her climate
change policy if she does not advance a transition plan for NSW away
from a dependency on coal fired power.
“If Ms Gillard allows the planned coal fired power stations to go
ahead jobs growth in the renewable energy sector will be lost and the
country’s greenhouse gas emissions will be pushed up,” Ms Rhiannon
said.
For more information – 0427 861 568
Lee Rhiannon
Greens NSW lead Senate Candidate
19 Eve Street, Erskineville
0427 861 568
greens.org.au/leerhiannon