Sean Edwards proposal for nuclear pot of gold – a myth, says South Australia’s Conservation Council
Nuclear Pot of Gold is a Myth Conservation Council of South Australia, 11 Feb 16 The state’s peak environment body has welcomed today’s release of a new report that questions grandiose claims of an economic bonanza arising from the creation of a global nuclear industry in South Australia.
The report The impossible dream. Free electricity sounds too good to be true – it is was prepared by leading economic think-tank The Australia Institute. The Conservation Council of South Australia commissioned The Australia Institute to analyse the submission of Senator Sean Edwards to the SA Nuclear Royal Commission.
Conservation SA Chief Executive Craig Wilkins said the analysis presented a much-needed dose of reality.
“There’s been a lot of grandiose claims made about a nuclear waste-led economic boom for our state, including free power and the scrapping of all state taxes,” Mr Wilkins said.
“The reality is there is no magic pot of gold.
“The Edwards proposal manages to ignore basic economic laws of supply and demand while leaving tens of thousands of tonnes of highly radioactive nuclear waste for future generations to deal with.
“Either way you look at it the Edwards proposal contains high risk and fuzzy logic.
“Either South Australia solves the problem of long-term safe storage of toxic nuclear waste – a problem that no other country has yet been able to fix despite decades of research and failed proposals – in which case other countries will simply follow our lead and we quickly lose our monopoly position that underpins the economic case Senator Edwards is making, or we don’t solve it and are left with a social, economic and environmental nightmare for our state.
“This is not a legacy we should be leaving for our children.”
The Royal Commission is due to release tentative results Monday morning at 11am.
The Australia Institute Report can be found here and attached below. The Edwards submission can be found here. The Conservation SA submission to the Royal Commission can be found here. A critique of the Royal Commission can be found here.
Even Adelaide newspaper aware of unrealism of Sen Edwards nuclear fantasy
SA senator’s nuclear waste ‘dream’ slammed Adelaide Now 11 Feb 16 A South Australian senator’s claim that establishing a nuclear waste processing industry could help deliver free energy and reduce state taxes is an “impossible dream”, a think-tank says.
Liberal Senator Sean Edwards last year told the state’s nuclear fuel cycle royal commission that SA should recycle other countries’ spent fuel rods and use the money earned to install generators.
“The Edwards plan ignores the cost of shipping waste to Australia and relies on technology that has never before been deployed commercially,” the report said.
“It hopes that unjustified and unrealistic amounts of money will be paid for the disposal of waste.” http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/sa-senators-nuclear-waste-dream-slammed/news-story/35e1dcfc199397a3d6bace116c167f44
Senator Sean Edwards’ Impossible Nuclear Dream
The impossible dream: Free electricity sounds too good to be true. It is. A new report from The Australia Institute shows that a proposal to establish a global nuclear waste industry in South Australia would fail to secure 90% of the imported waste, leaving an expensive and risky legacy for the state.
The report was commissioned by the Conservation Council of South Australia to analyse the submission to the South Australian Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission by Liberal Senator Sean Edwards. The Royal Commission is due to release tentative results next week.
Senator Edwards is proposing that South Australia imports 60,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel from other countries, and then leaves most of it, 56,000 tonnes, in dry cask storage which is designed for temporary use.
Telstra to rollout solar and battery storage technologies
Telstra takes on energy utilities with home solar and storage plan, Independent Australia Giles Parkinson 11 February 2016 Telstra’s rollout of solar and battery storage looks to be a game-changer in the home energy market. RenewEconomy‘sGiles Parkinson reports.
AUSTRALIA TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant Telstra plans to accelerate the rollout of solar and battery storage technologies, and is looking to offer home energy services to millions of consumers in the first sign it will take on the major energy utilities.
Telstra has established a dedicated project team to be led by Ben Burge, the feisty CEO of Powershop and Meridian Energy Australia,which has made major inroads into the Australian energy oligopoly, and which has been a keen proponent of wireless technology and smart-phone apps.
The arrival of a giant corporation such as Telstra into the home energy market signals massive change in the industry, as new technologies such as solar and battery storage, and the “internet of things” offer new avenues to the consumer market.
Telstra is flagging the possibility of offering home energy services – including solar and battery storage – as part of its bundled services that includes internet and telephone.
Telstra’s head of new business, Cynthia Whelan says in her corporate blog:
We see energy as relevant to our Connected Home strategy, where more and more machines are connected in what is called the Internet of Things.
We are looking at the opportunities to help customers monitor and manage many different aspects of the home, including energy……..
Analysts have predicted for several years now that the traditional energy industry would come under attack from new players such as telcos, and IT giants such as Google.
Mark Coughlin, the head of utilities at PwC, says electricity utilities, are facing their “Kodak moment” as the emergence of rooftop solar, in combination with battery storage and smart software, shift the power from the utility to the customer.
And, he says, telcos such as Telstra are better at consumer service than energy utilities, which will struggle to maintain their right to survive. …….https://independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/telstra-takes-on-energy-utilities-with-home-solar-and-storage-plan,8666
Companies like AGL waiting for government clarity on renewable energy policy
AGL puts an each-way bet on renewable energy, The Age February 11, 
2016 Elizabeth Knight AGL:Environmental terrorist or evangelist? Take your pick but financial pragmatist is probably the best description.
The fact is that this company makes most of its earnings off the back of carbon producing coal-fired energy production and is using the proceeds to seed a $3 billion renewable energy fund that will invest in clean sources of power like solar and wind.
There is nothing new age environmentally conscious in this. Like any corporation that is looking to maximise returns, AGL (like several others) understands that the writing is on the wall for the the production of dirty energy – in the longer term. Thus it is making an each-way bet on the future.
Make no mistake, companies like AGL make investment decisions primarily with reference to investment returns rather than environmental outcomes – regardless of the rhetoric. This is the company that last week announced it was winding down its interest in the coal seam gas industry.
Once again it was influenced by community uproar and protests about fracking in their back yards but the decision was one centred on the the gas supply/demand equation and the capital costs of firming up an unreliable coal seam gas resource……..
Renewables tipped to pay off
Longer term it is clear that AGL is taking a punt that the balance will ultimately move between clean renewable energy and the dirty stuff which earns its healthy profits today – hence this week’s creations of the renewables fund.
One of its existing clean energy assets will be effectively vended into this new renewables fund…….
To really move the dial towards producing cleaner energy, companies like AGL need stronger support from the government which under the Abbott government gave them little certainty about how much support and financial incentive would be given to green policies.
And AGL is the first to admit that the changes in government policies over the past 4 -5 years has made investment decisions difficult.
Ultimately AGL, which is the country’s largest generator, its largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the largest builder and operator of renewable energy is a particularly important part of the conversation about Australia’s energy use and generation.
And as such the allocation of its investment should exert some influence on government policy. But it is limited in how fulsome any commitment to investment in clean energy can be until it can be secure with the level and the timing it will receive from legislators. : http://www.theage.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/agl-puts-an-eachway-bet-on-renewable-energy-20160210-gmqh1t#ixzz3zu51N8JO
Big Electricity Company AGL launches $3b renewable energy fund
AGL Energy going greener with launch of $3b renewable energy fund, SMH February 10, 2016 Angela Macdonald-Smith Electricity major AGL Energy has taken its most decisive steps yet to reposition itself for a lower-carbon future, launching a $3 billion renewable energy project fund and investing $US20 million ($28.4 million) in a Californian solar and battery storage developer.
The latest moves come less than a week after the country’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases announced it would quit natural gas production and caps what chief executive Andy Vesey describes as a “very significant strategic pivot” during his first 12 months in the role.
The new unlisted fund will hold AGL’s recently completed solar power projects in western NSW and will be partly owned by AGL, which will contribute $200 million in equity, alongside partners which are likely to be local infrastructure funds.
AGL’s exit from gas production incurred a $640 million after-tax write-down, as flagged last week, which drove the company into the red in the first half……..
Mr Vesey said the strong performance of AGL’s core business “highlights that we are well positioned to capitalise on the evolution occurring in the energy sector”, leading to the launch of the Powering Australian Renewables Fund, which he had hinted at late last year.
The fund will aim to develop at least 1000 megawatts of large-scale renewables projects, about 20 per cent of capacity needed to meet the 2020 Renewable Energy Target, at a cost of $2 billion to $3 billion.
Feedback from “soft soundings” among potential co-investors has been positive, with the line-up of partners likely to be finalised towards the end of June, Mr Vesey said. Australia’s large banks are likely to contribute senior debt, while mezzanine financing could also be involved, said chief financial officer Brett Redman.
Green welcomeGreen groups welcomed news of the fund, with Clean Energy Council head Kane Thornton describing it as the sort of move that is “crucial to unlocking the many thousands of megawatts of renewable energy projects that are ready and waiting to be built around Australia.” http://www.smh.com.au/business/energy/agl-energy-going-greener-with-launch-of-3b-renewable-energy-fund-20160209-gmq2in.html#ixzz3zu38xisy
Australia’s double standards on nuclear disarmament
In Nuclear Diplomacy, Double Standards Abound, New Matilda, By Tim Wright onFebruary 11, 2016 We might not have nuclear weapons, but we rely on them. And that makes us gigantic hypocrites, writes Tim Wright, Asia-Pacific director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).Among those most vociferous in condemning North Korea’s nuclear test last month and its rocket launch this week were the leaders of nations that themselves possess nuclear weapons. Nations that, over half a century, mastered the art of mass destruction by exploding atomic and hydrogen bombs off Pacific atolls and in the Australian outback.
Were these nations now on the path to disarmament, in full compliance with their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, one might overlook their double standard. But all are instead bolstering their nuclear forces – “refurbishing” old warheads and developing new missiles, submarines and bombers to deliver them.
While North Korea may be the only nation to have conducted a full-scale nuclear test this century, the United States, Russia and China continue to conduct sub-critical nuclear tests – where no chain reaction occurs – allowing them to enhance their nuclear forces without violating the global norm against nuclear testing……..
A ‘rogue state’ such as North Korea – with its much feared, reviled and mocked leader, Kim Jong-un – provides useful cover for alarming developments of this kind. So long as the spotlight shines elsewhere, few will worry about, let alone protest against, the actions of the more ‘responsible’ nuclear powers – nations that, truth be told, have time and again brought us within a hair’s breadth of catastrophe.
Most governments, however, do accept that there are “no right hands for wrong weapons”, to use a phrase of the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon. Regrettably, Australia is not yet among them. While the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, was swift to condemn North Korea’s test, her department claims that US nuclear weapons protect Australia from attack and even “guarantee our prosperity”.
This longstanding policy, known as extended nuclear deterrence, implies that nuclear weapons are legitimate, useful and necessary war-fighting instruments. It incites proliferation and undermines disarmament. It renders Australia an outcast in our immediate region, where all other nations have rejected the bomb outright.
Over the past year, 122 nations have formally pledged to work together to prohibit nuclear weapons through a new treaty. To place them on the same legal footing as other indiscriminate, inhumane weapons – from chemical and biological agents to anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions.
If we are to succeed in eliminating the nuclear threat, we must begin by challenging the double standards that, throughout the nuclear age, have so plagued disarmament efforts. We must declare nuclear weapons unacceptable not just for North Korea and Iran, but for Australia and its allies, too.
Tim Wright is Asia-Pacific director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). https://newmatilda.com/2016/02/11/in-nuclear-diplomacy-double-standards-abound/
A big mistake to gut CSIRO climate change research
The gutting of CSIRO climate change research is a big mistake, Guardian, John Abraham, 10 Feb 16 To be able to adapt to climate change, we need scientists to project how the climate will change Last week, surprise news shocked the world’s scientific community. One of the most prestigious and productive scientific organizations is slashing hundreds of jobs, many related to climate change research. The organization, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO for short) is simply put, one of the best in the world. It rivals well-known groups like NASA, NOAA, and the Hadley Centre for its contributions to climate science.
What does CSIRO do that is so special? Many things. For instance, they are world leaders in measuring what is happening to the planet. Their research includes ocean-going vessels and other instrumentation that measure the chemistry and temperature of the ocean; they help track where human-emitted carbon dioxide is going, how heat is building up in the oceans, and what is happening with the general health of the ocean biosystem.
CSIRO is also a modeling superpower. Their climate models form the backbone of our understanding of what changes have happened and what changes will happen because of human greenhouse gases.
But they also have deepened our knowledge about extreme weather. They’ve provided insights regarding how droughts, heat waves, and floods will change in the future.
All of these contributions are important not only for the understanding that they provide but also because this knowledge helps us plan for the future. If you want to know what we can do to mitigate or adapt to climate change, you need this information.
But according to CSIRO chief executive, Larry Marshall, CSIRO should shift focus. …….
Australia is a small country (by population). Yet, it has punched far above its weight class in research. To think that this treasure of a research organization will be gutted is just shocking.
This story has gotten a lot of press in Australia such as here and here. It is also covered in international venues such as here and petitions such as here and here. Let’s hope this move is reversed before it is too late. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2016/feb/10/the-gutting-of-csiro-climate-change-research-is-a-big-mistake
Indigenous people – the world’s nuclear mining canary
Native Americans: ‘We Are The Miner’s Canary’ Indigenous Delegation Sounds Alarm on Homegrown Radioactive Pollution Crisis By Klee Benally, www.cleanupthemines.org, Popular Resistance January 23rd, 2016 Washington, DC — From January 25-28, 2016 Indigenous representatives from the Northern Great Plains & Southwest were in the District of Columbia (DC) to raise awareness about radioactive pollution, an invisible national crisis. Millions of people in the United States are being exposed as Nuclear Radiation Victims on a daily basis. Exposure to radioactive pollution has been linked to cancer, genetic defects, Navajo Neuropathy, and increases in mortality. The delegation will speak about the impacts they are experiencing in their communities, which are also affecting other communities throughout the US.
“Native American nations of North America are the miners’ canaries for the United States trying to awaken the people of the world to the dangers of radioactive pollution”, states Charmaine White Face from the South Dakota based organization Defenders of the Black Hills.
South Dakota has 272 Abandoned Uranium Mines (AUMs) which are contaminating waterways such as the Cheyenne River, and desecrating sacred and ceremonial sites. An estimated 169 AUMs are located within 50 miles of Mt. Rushmore where millions of tourists risk exposure to radioactive pollution each year.
The delegation is warning of the toxic legacy caused by more than 15,000 AUMs nationwide, extreme water contamination, surface strip coal mining and power plants burning coal-laced with radioactive particles, radioactive waste from oil well drilling in the Bakken Oil Range, mill tailings, waste storage, and renewed mining threats to sacred places such as Mt. Taylor in New Mexico and Red Butte in Arizona.
Indigenous communities have been disproportionately impacted as approximately 75% of AUMs are located on federal and Tribal lands………https://www.popularresistance.org/native-americans-we-are-the-miners-canary/
They meant Greg Hunt won World’s Best Milliner (not Minister)
Typing Error: Greg Hunt Actually Won Best Milliner In The World Award (Not Minister As Initially Reported) By The Shovel on February 10, 2016 http://www.theshovel.com.au/2016/02/10/typing-error-greg-hunt-actually-awarded-best-milliner-in-the-world/ Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt has not, in fact, won the award for Best Minister In The World, but rather a prize for hat making.
Initial reports this morning suggested Mr Hunt had won the inaugural ‘Best Minister In The World’ award at the World Government Summit in Dubai, leading to widespread bewilderment in Australia.
But a spokesperson from the Summit this afternoon said that it was nothing more than a typing error on the certificate, and that the award was actually for Mr Hunt’s millinery achievements.
While Mr Hunt is not well known for his hat-making prowess, the award was seen as more credible amongst analysts. “It did seem very far-fetched when the initial report came out. Whereas the hat-making thing – while a little strange – is at least plausible,” Political observer Ben McDaniel said.
A Liberal Party insider said the new award made more sense. “I’m not sure exactly what Greg Hunt has done for the millinery industry. But I’m confident it’s more than what he’s done for the environment”.
UN Statement on arbitrary detention of Julian Assange
Julian Assange arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the UK, UN expert panel finds United Nations Human Rights Office GENEVA (5 February 2016) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom since his arrest in London on 7 December 2010, as a result of the legal action against him by both Governments, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said today.
In a public statement, the expert panel called on the Swedish and British authorities to end Mr. Assange’s deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation (Check the statement: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012&LangID=E) Continue reading
Greg Hunt Bestest minister In Whole World? Really?
View from the Street: Greg Hunt is the bestest minister in the whole wide world!, Canberra Times, February 10, 2016 You ever have one of those mornings when you wake up and can’t immediately tell whether or not you’re just having particularly vivid dream?
Everything seems normal, except for your metamorphosis into a giant cockroach, say, or the announcement that “Environment” Minister Greg Hunt has been voted Best Minister in the World at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
What were the criteria for this singular honour? It reportedly aims to celebrate those “who lead quality successful initiatives”. And sure, that the phrase doesn’t make grammatical nor syntactical sense – but that just makes it especially well suited to the man that spearheaded Direct Action.
It’s the first year of the award, which was invented by Canadian media conglomerate Thomson Reuters and therefore has around the same level of credibility as the View from the Street Award for Radness in the Field of Awesome.
(Actually, Hunt does seem an appropriate recipient: the company’s Wikipedia page reveals that Roy Thompson made a fortune in oil and gas exploitation, which seems very on-message with Hunt’s work in ensuring developments aren’t hindered by environmental responsibilities in Queensland.)
And it’s grand that this honour should follow Hunt’s most recent triumph: seeing Australia drop significantly on what he’d previously called “the most credible, scientifically based” environmental analysis in the world……..http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/view-from-the-street-greg-hunt-is-the-bestest-minister-in-the-whole-wide-world-20160210-gmqlys.html
Adani going for solar energy project in Australia
Adani pursuing solar energy project February 10, 2016 Indian mining giant Adani is pursuing a solar power project in Australia after years of delays in building a mega coalmine in central Queensland.
The company has confirmed it is chasing investment opportunities in Australia’s solar generation sector, saying it is focusing on potential opportunities in Queensland and South Australia……. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/adani-pursuing-solar-energy-project-20160210-gmqj19.html#ixzz3ztbMquoa
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 