A Logical Choice !

Here we are on the cusp of summer and the power provided by one of our biggest coal fired electricity generators is in doubt because of a ruling by the Court of Appeal in August that a mine extension approval was invalid.    Springvale coal mine in the Hunter Valley near Lithgow is the sole source of energy for the mighty Mount Piper Power station.

If Mount Piper is forced to stop production at the height of the summer demand for electricity, blackouts in New South Wales are certain.   The 1400 mega watts of power it delivers is essential to keep the grid running and for that to happen the Springvale coal mine needs to keep delivering coal.

The Court of Appeal issued that notice because mine pollution is deemed a risk to Sydney's water supply.  The mine is in the upper Cox valley and this forms parts of the catchment area where runoff finds its way into the Warragamba dam.  It is feared that pollution may damage the upland swamps which drain water than eventually enters Warragamba.

This looked like becoming a face off between the zealots of the conservation movement and the realists trying to keep the lights on and industry humming in this state.  Work is already underway to create an answer to that pollution problem.  A water treatment plant is under construction and this will come online in 2019 - at which time all forms of water pollution will cease.

Rational people will be satisfied that the amount of pollution involved will be minor over the period until this solution is up and running and keeping the lights on must take precedence, but it is likely that the ecology lobby may go to court to try and have that ban imposed.  It could devolve into a messy court challenge in which the power supply is held hostage.

The New South Wales government has intervened.  Legislation will be introduced into parliament this week to nullify that ruling by the Court of Appeal.  Critics will claim that this weakens the laws protecting our water supply, but the government thought it was necessary to resolve this issue immediately.  It would not be unusual for high heat to appear unexpectedly as early as this month and the power supply can not be left to the deliberations of the courts - which may consider their verdicts over a length of time.

Politics and vested interests clash in establishing a cohesive power policy.   The non polluting solar and wind form of power generation seem the answer to the global warming question, but they fail to deliver the base load need.  We have been looking at both storage batteries and an extension of the Snowy river hydro scheme as alternatives, but there seems no choice other than to stick with coal fired generation in the short term.

The politicians at all levels should clearly understand that the Australian public will not forgive the disruption of power blackouts.  If politicians of all persuasions want to continue to  hold office they had better cease this squabbling and agree on a cohesive and practical power generating policy and put that into effect.   Without that, Australia's status as a first world country is challenged !