Antinuclear

Australia’s Energy White Paper – Martin Ferguson has to admit -“No Nuclear “

Mr Ferguson said clean energy sources could expand to provide more than 40 per cent of electricity needs by 2035 and potentially as much as 85 per cent by 2050.

The energy generation forecasts go out to 2050 in the report, and do not include nuclear energy as part of the supply mix.

Ferguson calls for ‘non-political’ energy debate, SMH, November 8, 2012 Peter Hannam Carbon economy editor Australia’s energy policies must be driven by competitive markets that operate in the long-term interests of consumers and are guided by “a constructive, non-political debate”, according to the federal government’s long-awaited energy white paper.
The wide-ranging policy update, aimed at guiding energy markets for years to come, is the first for the sector since 2004. – a delay criticised by the opposition.
It comes as consumers battle rising electricity costs prompted by excessive investment in networks, particularly by state-owned companies, and the recent introduction of the carbon tax. Power prices rose 15 per cent in the September quarter alone, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported last month.

Launching the white paper in Melbourne, federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said the rapid rise in electricity prices in recent years has prompted a response from consumers that had been “much higher than expected”. The falling demand, driven also by a restructuring of the economy away from manufacturing, meant that the requirement for additional gas-fired peaking power had all but disappeared, he said.
Still, the white paper is sticking to its forecast that demand for
energy will continue to rise at about 1.2 per cent per year over the
next two decades.
The forecast of growth comes even though electricity demand has fallen
by 3.4 per cent from its peak of 197.9 terawatt hours in 2009-10.
“Demand is expected to remain steady at its current level during
2012-13 before returning to growth over the remainder of the decade,”
the report said.
The paper outlines six key challenges, including minimising energy
price pressures and the growth in peak demand, retaining Australia’s
appeal for development of energy resources, and the transition to less
carbon-intensive energy sources.
Mr Ferguson said clean energy sources could expand to provide more than 40 per cent of electricity needs by 2035 and potentially as much as 85 per cent by 2050.
Such a change would involve as much as $200 billion in new generation
investment between now and 2050,  including $100 billion in renewables
and as much as $60 billion in gas.
The energy generation forecasts go out to 2050 in the report, and do not include nuclear energy as part of the supply mix.
Mr Ferguson said the community may make a decision on nuclear in the
future but for now it is not being considered because it remains too
expensive for base-load generation.
“It’s not on the horizon at the moment because it is not cost
competitive,” he said.
Under the generation projections, brown coal production goes from
supplying about one quarter of total electricity generated to only a
handful of per cent by 2035 and is absent from the mix by 2050.
Production of black coal, the source of 40 per cent of total power now
will also almost be eliminated from the mix by mid-century.
Mr Ferguson singled out “informing a constructive non-political
debate” as “the most important” of the challenges facing the
industry.
Removing politics from the energy debate will be difficult, however,
as the onus on introducing more competition into energy markets falls
largely on the states, particularly Queensland and New South Wales.
Both states rely on major fund injections from state-run power assets
to bolster their already tight budgets, revenue that may be at risk
from greater competition and privatisation.
Mr Ferguson indicated, however, that the federal government may tread
lightly when it comes to pressuring the states to spend less on their
networks – expenses that are passed on to consumers.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/ferguson-calls-for-nonpolitical-energy-debate-20121108-2909t.html#ixzz2BkKoJEji

November 8, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, energy