The week that was in Australian nuclear news
Renewable energy and climate change are in the news – but mainly for political reasons. It is still possible for the Liberal Coalition to persuade one or more Independents to go for a double dissolution of Federal Parliament. The Coalition then they might be able to put a stop to developments in renewable energy – ones that are being contracted by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) , and are due to commence on July 1.- Even if the election does not happen until September 14, Australia’s Opposition Party has been able to frighten off many renewable energy investments with their promise to repeal the carbon tax, and shut down the CEFC and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
- All the same, Clean Energy Australia Report showed record renewable energy use in Australia in 2012.
- In Geraldton, W.A. a large solar array has just come into operation.
- In South Australia a final government decision is due soon on the Keyneton wind farm.
- From today, residents of tiny King Island can vote on whether or not to allow for a feasibility study into hosting the largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere. Opponents, led by the Waubra Foundation, have hired a Sydney public relations firm to lobby residents for “no” vote.
Uranium price has hit 4 year record low, casting doubt on the future of Toro Energy’s Wiluna project in Western Australia. This would have been W.A.’s first uranium mine.
Julian Assange. Well, if you want any help from the Australian government – make sure that you do a drug crime, or manslaughter or something like that. Don’t expect any help if you just showed a video about US army atrocities in Afghanistan, or revealed cables in the public interest. Australia’s Foreign Minister, Bob Carr has made it pretty clear that the government is not interested in helping Julian Assange, (under investigation by USA for ‘treasonable’ offences)
Fear and loathing about prices hits the Western Australian uranium market
Uranium price hits four-year low Nick Sas, The West Australian June 7, 2013, A new wave of nervousness swept through WA’s already under-pressure uranium explorers yesterday after the uranium spot price hit a four-year low.
The price fell below the $40 a pound threshold for the first time since April 2009, closing at $39.87 a pound.Despite industry assurances of a price rebound over the past 12 months, uranium has failed to get any traction.
The price has not pushed through the $45/lb mark since December 14.
The lethargic price places further pressure on local uranium explorers such as Toro Energy, which is looking for a strategic partner to help fund its $269 million Wiluna project.
If funding is found, Wiluna will become WA’s first uranium mine. A hearty increase in the spot price is needed to force WA’s fledgling uranium sector into first gear, with Canadian giant Cameco indicating a price of more than $70/lb is needed before it can give the green light to its massive Yeelirrie or Kintyre deposits……http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/a/-/wa/17512668/uranium-price-hits-four-year-low/
VIDEO: Senator Ludlam asks Minister Carr about Wikileaks and Bradley Manning
Assange no concern of ours, says Carr, The Age, 7 June 13
- The Australian government has washed its hands of Julian Assange as prosecutors at the trial of US soldier Bradley Manning have openly targeted the WikiLeaks publisher as a conspirator engaged in espionage.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr has told a Senate budget estimates committee that the government would make no more representations to the US on Assange’s circumstances because his case “doesn’t affect Australian interests”.
Senator Carr’s declaration that he would not “over-service” Assange’s consular needs came after US military prosecutors left no doubt that they regard the WikiLeaks chief not as a journalist dealing with sources but as a conspirator in the theft of classified information. Continue reading
Large solar system installed at Geraldton, Western Australia
Western Australian Company Installs 100kW Solar Power System http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3780, 7 June 13, Diab Engineering in Geraldton, Western Australia, has gone solar in a big way.
Designed, installed and commissioned by Perth and Brisbane based Infinite Energy, the 99.8kW rooftop system consists of 416 solar panels; plus 6 SMA Sunny Tripower inverters supplied by Energy Matters’ sister company,Apollo Energy.
The array is mounted using an Australian designed and manufactured SunLockmounting system; also provided via Apollo Energy.
Diab Engineering’s installation incorporates a special system that monitors electricity consumption on the site and solar production in real time. Continue reading
Clean Energy Australia Report – record use of renewable energy in Australia 2012
Renewable Energy Use Hits Record Heights in Australia The latest data from Australia’s peak clean energy body indicates that the country’s use of renewable energy hit record heights last year. Design Build, By Marc Howe, 7 June 13,
According to figures from the Clean Energy Council’s 2012 Clean Energy Australia Report, a record-breaking 13.14 per cent of Australia’s electricity was derived from renewable energy in 2012.
Both solar power and wind power have reached major milestones since the start of 2012, Australia’s 62 wind farms produced enough electricity to supply power to one million households for the first time last year, while the country installed its millionth solar power system earlier this year.
While solar power and wind power saw an increase in their share of renewable energy generated, rising to 26 per cent and eight per cent respectively, hydro power nonetheless remains the dominant form of clean power, accounting for 57 per cent in 2012…….. However, the report found that Australian investment in renewables actually fell significantly last year, dropping $1.3 billion dollars from $5.5 billion in 2011.
The decline in investment has been largely attributed to the solar sector due to the scuppering of government incentives for the installation of rooftop panels and declines in systems cost.
Further declines in investment are also expected this year as a result of political uncertainty in the lead up to the federal election this year, and the potential impact on the renewable energy sector of a Coalition victory.
China’s huge renewable energy investments having an impact on global greenhouse emissions
Understanding China’s overseas investments in renewable energy is a start towards exploring the climate change impacts of these investments. With its low-cost financing and a robust renewable energy industry, China has the potential to advance clean energy development in countries across the world.
China Invests Billions In International Renewable Energy Projects, WRI Insights by Yingzhen Zhao and Clifford Polycarp June 6, 2013 It’s well-known that China ranks first in the world in attracting clean energy investment, receiving US$ 65.1 billion in 2012. But new analysis from WRI shows another side to this story: China is 
increasingly becoming a global force in international clean energy investment, too. In fact, the country has provided nearly $40 billion dollars to other countries’ solar and wind industries over the past decade.
This investment is consistent with a broader trend of major emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil becoming important sources of global overseas invest¬ments. WRI’s new working paper, China’s Overseas Investments in the Wind and Solar Industries: Trends and Drivers, helps to better understand China’s renewable energy investments overseas, as well as the policy and market forces that drive them.
China’s Overseas Wind and Solar Investments, By the Numbers Continue reading
South Australian wind farm project near to decision
Keyneton wind farm decision looms http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-06/keyneton-wind-farm-decision-looms/4737426 Jun 6, 2013 A decision on whether a proposed wind farm between the Barossa Valley and Mid Murray regions will go ahead is now with the Planning Minister.
Pacific Hydro lodged an application mid-last year with the Development Assessment Commission to build a 42-turbine wind farm at Keyneton.
The commission says it has considered the matter and made its recommendations to the Minister, John Rau, who is expected to make a final decision in the next few weeks.
Iowa wind energy plan – $1 Billion Nuclear Plan Dumped
$1 Billion Nuclear Power Plans Abandoned In Iowa Clean Technica, June 6, 2013 Jake RichardsonPlans for Iowa’s second nuclear power plant have been dropped by Mid American Energy. No design has been approved for the type of nuclear plant the company had intended, so they have let the idea go. It was reported that ratepayers will be refunded the $8.8 million they paid for a completed feasibility study. Sites not far from Council Bluffs and Davenport were being considered for the plant.
…. Friends of the Earth interpreted the decision more broadly saying it is an indication that massive public subsidies for new nuclear power might not be as popular an idea any longer. A poll of Iowans conducted in 2012 found 77% were against a funding arrangement that would have required residents to have to pay the energy company up front for construction of the nuclear plant. Proposed legislation could have made such an arrangement possible, but it was opposed by a number of non-profit advocacy organizations, so it didn’t go through. http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/06/1-billion-dollar-nuclear-plant-dropped-in-iowa/#pAxzd7cFlUlp1crh.99
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