Today Premier Nathan Rees will be in Wollongong to launch the " Green jobs action plan ".
This ambitious project has at it's centre a " Cogeneration project " in conjunction with Bluescope steel to use the gases from the steelmaking process to fire up electricity production. It would create 2,000 construction jobs, eliminate one million tonnes of greenhouse gases - and cost a billion dollars to create !
There is also a plan to bring a wave energy power generation plant to fruition, although details of this are scarce. Most Wollongong people remember the hoop-la surrounding the tests of such a plant off Port Kembla - and the deafening silence when it ran into technical problems.
There is also a plan to create a street of about ten " display homes " that are marvels of sustainability ". Each will create 100% of it's own electricity needs and recycle water.
This state government is big on making announcements - but unfortunately few of them ever see the light of day by being converted into reality.
It is all a matter of money - and that is something that this state government does not have. The only hope of any of these ideas proceeding further is if the Federal government chips in with the funds.
That Bluescope steel Cogeneration project is just another recycled idea that attracted a lot of fanfare decades ago - and just as quickly slipped into obscurity. It would be great if it happened - and many people think it is a practical idea. It would also become a useful anchor for ensuring that the Wollongong steel industry survives whatever the world economy may deliver in the future.
Unfortunately few people here will get too excited about the hoop-la that will surround this announcement.
We have heard it all before - and we know that the best reaction is to take it with a grain of salt !
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