Government funds power project that relies on massive coal plant closures

The Morrison government is backing a new power connection between Tasmania and the mainland that would be unviable unless one-third of Australia’s coal-fired power capacity prematurely shuts down and greenhouse gas emissions fall far more dramatically than the Coalition has proposed.

One-third of the east coast's coal-fired power capacity
must close from 2025 for the new power link from
Tasmania to the mainland to be viable, a report has found.CREDIT:

But the government has rejected suggestions that it privately believes a massive coal shut-down is imminent, saying models such as those used in the Commonwealth-funded report are unreliable.

The Coalition on Monday sought to reposition itself on climate and energy policy with a $3.5 billion climate solutions package. It included up to $1.38 billion for Snowy 2.0 and $56 million to fast track the proposed Marinus link, a second electricity transmission cable under Bass Strait that would deliver Tasmania’s vast renewable energy resources to mainland states.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Marinus project would help deliver up to 2500 megawatts of reliable renewable hydro power, lower energy prices and reduce Australia’s emissions by 25 million tonnes by 2030.

Read the story from The Age by Nicole Hasham - “Government funds power project that relies on massive coal plant closures.”

Scott Morrison pledges $56m for Tasmanian interconnector in climate policy reboot

Scott Morrison has promised to help accelerate the construction of a new interconnector between Tasmania and the mainland, and has signalled the government will back the Snowy 2.0 expansion as part of the Coalition’s climate policy reboot.

Scott Morrison confirmed the Coalition would spend
$56m on a new 1,200MW interconnector for Tasmania. 

The prime minister confirmed on Monday the government would spend $56m in an effort to progress a new 1,200MW interconnector as part of Tasmania’s “battery of the nation” project and he also sent a strong hint he will back Malcolm Turnbull’s pet project, adding 2,000MW of new generation capacity at Snowy Hydro.

The Tasmanian project is a plan to double the state’s renewable energy capacity by developing pumped hydro energy storage, building windfarms and upgrading existing generation assets. Fourteen pumped hydro sites have been earmarked across the state with a combined potential generation capacity of up to 4,800 megawatts.

Read the story from The Guardian by Katharine Murphy - “Scott Morrison pledges $56m for Tasmanian interconnector in climate policy reboot.”

Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas, could be 'on par with Katrina’

The menacing Hurricane Harvey has made landfall in Texas as a category four storm with winds of up to 210 kilometres per hour, making it the most powerful storm in over a decade to hit the mainland United States.

Traffic lights in Corpus Christi were knocked
down as Hurricane Harvey approached.

The hurricane made second landfall about 1:00am local time (4:00pm AEST) near the shore of Copano Bay, north-east of Corpus Christi and was downgraded to a category three, the National Weather Service said.

Tens of thousands of people fled inland before Harvey hit, packing winds of 215 kilometres per hour and sparking fears it could be the most destructive since Katrina left 1,800 people dead in 2005.

Harvey made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor about 10:00pm local time (1:00pm AEST) and is expected to dump over 90 centimetres of rain along the Texas coast and parts of Louisiana as it lingers for days.

Read the ABC News story - “Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas, could be 'on par with Katrina’.”

Tasmania will only get hotter and drier: Bill McKibben

Bill McKibben.

In his first visit to Tasmania, world renowned US environmentalist Bill McKibben has given a stark warning to the Tasmanian Government.

The state is in the midst of an unprecedented energy crisis due to falling hydro-electric dam levels and a broken Basslink cable, which means power cannot be imported from the mainland.

The former is being blamed on a dry summer, but climate change activist Mr McKibben warns the weather will only get hotter.

"Unfortunately, it's not going to be the new norm, the new norm is going to be worse and more dramatic with each passing few years," he said.

Read the ABC story - “Bill McKibben: US environmentalist sounds warning on Tasmanian energy crisis.”