Deep mining might increase Australia’s earthquake risks
about every five years there’s a potentially devastating quake of magnitude 6.0 or more.
some scientists have suggested that mining might have been to blame in that case [Earthquake in Newcastle 28 December 1989,] …..Some experts think this [ deep-core mining] might be enough to destabilise pre-existing faults in the Earth’s crust, and to trigger an earthquake. Certainly, human activity – like large dams being filled – has been linked to quakes overseas….
Earthquakes in Australia, AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC BY:EMMA YOUNG | OCTOBER-6-2011 Earthquakes don’t only occur near our neighbours Japan and New Zealand – they’re common in Australia too “……..Australia doesn’t sit on the edge of a tectonic plate. However, the Indo-Australian plate, at the centre of which our continent lies, is being pushed to the north-east at about 7cm per year. It’s colliding with the Eurasian, Philippine and Pacific plates, causing stress to build up in the 25km-thick upper crust. This build-up of pressure within the plate can cause earthquakes in Australia.
In fact, Australia has more quakes than other regions that sit in the middle of plates and are considered relatively stable, Continue reading
Expansion of Olympic Damn uranium mining is not yet certain
it is a lengthy process as BHP lines up all the necessary government approvals before taking the project to its board next year.
South Australia digs deep to take part in mining boom Telegraph UK 28 Sept 11, Deep in the South Australian outback, change is in the air. Quite literally in fact, since the plans under way to develop the Olympic Dam mine will create a site so vast that it is expected to affect local weather patterns.
Negotiations are now in advanced stages to give BHP Billiton the go–ahead to turn its existing operation some 560km (350 miles) north of Adelaide into the world’s biggest open cast mine. Continue reading
Danger of transporting nuclear waste through Australia’s major food bowl
Nuclear waste transport opposed in South Australia 9 News, 29 Sept 11, A plan to ship nuclear waste through the South Australian Riverland puts one of Australia’s major food bowls at risk, the state opposition says. Riverland Liberal MP Tim Whetsone said the state government was totally opposed to a nuclear waste dump being located in South Australia and must take the same stand against the transport of nuclear waste.
A federal government report has advised against transporting waste from the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney throughthe Blue Mountains to a proposed nuclear dump in the Northern Territory.
Instead it suggests shipping the waste by road through South Australia. Mr Whetstone said that would put the Riverland’s food production at risk of contamination along with water supplies from the Murray. “Much of this production is export focused and transporting nuclear waste through the Riverland sends a bad message to critical export markets,” he said.
“Transporting waste along the Sturt Highway will involve nuclear waste being in close proximity to the River Murray for much of the journey. “The risk to SA’s water supplies is unacceptable….
South Australia’s Liberal Party says nuclear power uneconomic, goes for gas and trigeneration
South Australian Liberals to look at trigeneration power, VERITY EDWARDS, The Australian, September 23, 2011 SOUTH Australian Opposition leader Isobel Redmond has committed a future Liberal government to investigating trigeneration power, despite concerns about its cost and reliability.
Delivering a headland speech to the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce in Adelaide, Ms Redmond yesterday criticised the introduction of a carbon tax and price as “economically insane”, described nuclear power as uneconomical and said gas would be the state’s logical source of future energy.
“If elected, a Redmond Liberal government will conduct a feasibility study into a trigeneration network in Adelaide,” Ms Redmond told the lunch. Gas-fired trigeneration plants produce electricity and harness the heating and cooling by-products for use within buildings.
The City of Sydney last year announced it wanted to establish a network of trigeneration plants capable of generating 330MW of electricity by 2030, or up to 70 per cent of Sydney’s needs….http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/south-australian-liberals-to-look-at-trigeneration-power/story-e6frgczx-1226144067671
South Australian government secrecy on expansion of BHP’s Olympic Damn
Release ‘secret’ Roxby report, 22 Sept 11, The Greens have called for the immediate release of a hidden report that captures the views of State Government agencies on the Olympic Dam
Mega-expansion.
Called the ‘Assessment Report’, it is a compulsory step in the approval process for a major development. It summarises the responses by various government agencies to the proponent’s Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and is supposed to be released before the Government announces its approval of a project. However, for recent controversial projects the Rann Government has chosen to only release the Report after they have announced their decision. “The only reason the Government is choosing not to release the Assessment Report now is to avoid scrutiny,” said SA Greens Parliamentary leader Mark
Parnell.
“The Government is holding back the Report’s release for political reasons – keeping the SA community in the dark. This means that the public doesn’t get a chance to respond. It also allows the Government to dodge tricky questions as the media and others tend to focus on the approval decision, rather than what Government agencies actually think.
“The Rann Government has form in releasing the Assessment Report only after they announce their decision on a project. They did it for Buckland Park and they did it for the Port Stanvac desal plant. “For a project as important as the Olympic Dam expansion, the Government should be giving the SA community more opportunities to be involved in the
final decision, not less. “For example, the Assessment Report will be able to tell us what
Government agencies like SARDI really think about the proposed desalination plant at Pt Lowly.
“The Greens call on the State Government to immediately release the Assessment Report, well before they announce their decision on the OlympicDam Expansion.
Misleading headlines and terms in uranium propaganda
We’ve been seeing a lot of “wobbly words” lately – from the nuclear/uranium industry. You’ll recognise them – “the fundamentals” (always great, of course). And in today’s hype for Uranium SA’s Whyalla plan – “robust” economics.
But the headline is the best in this one – “numbers stacking up”. – Well – the information that the share price of Uranium SA has fallen, and that it hasn’t secured financing – doesn’t bear out the enthusiastic headline. – C.M.
The numbers stack up for Uranium SA, The Age, Barry Fitzgerald, September 20, 2011 SOUTH AUSTRALIA is in line to get another uranium mine, this time from a new uranium province being opened up by ASX-listed Uranium SA to the south of the industrial city of Whyalla, on the Eyre Peninsula.
A study by USA into the likely financial returns from the development of one of the sediment-hosted uranium deposits it has outlined at its Samphire project – the Blackbush deposit – has confirmed ”robust” project economics…..
USA’s managing director, Russel Bluck, said USA’s financing options for the project development would include discussions with global integrated nuclear power groups. USA shares closed 0.5¢ lower at 15¢.
Wind farms for South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales
Acciona Plans to Develop 144-Megawatt South Australia Wind Farm, Bloomberg, By James Paton – Sep 15, 2011 Acciona SA (ANA), the Spanish renewable energy company, plans to develop a 144-megawatt wind farm in the state of South Australia, according to documents filed with the Australian government.
The Exmoor wind farm, with as many as 48 turbines, would be located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Naracoorte in the southeast region of the state, the Madrid-based company said in documents lodged yesterday with the Australian Environment Department. Acciona may get approval to build the wind farm as early as 2013, the company said.
Acciona, AGL Energy Ltd. (AGK) and Investec Plc are among companies planning to build more wind-power projects in Australia as the country moves toward a goal of generating 20 percent of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020. AGL’s 420-megawatt Macarthur wind farm in Victoria state, estimated to cost A$1 billion ($1 billion), will be the largest in the southern hemisphere when it is completed in early 2013, the Sydney-based company said last year.
Acciona in July opened the 107 million-euro ($148 million) Gunning wind farm in New South Wales state, the company’s third in Australia. That project has a capacity of 46.5 megawatts…http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-16/acciona-plans-to-develop-144-megawatt-south-australia-wind-farm.html
Research to benefit the Giant Cuttlefish, or the Giant Non Australian BHP Billiton?
In South Australia, a Flinders University team is doing the USA’s bidding, as Professor Pam Sykes pushes U.S. funded research into making low level ionising radiation look good.
Now we have another research team in South Australia,, funded by Australian governments, investigating the giant cuttlefish. We must wonder to what extent this research is geared at truly studying this unique and beautiful animal, and its specialised habitat. This is a species that will be lost to the world, made extinct by a change in the salt/freshwater balance in the upper Spencer Gulf.
The proposed desalinationn plant – needed for BHP Billiton’s expansion of Olympic Damn uranium mine – would make that change, and make that extinction of an iconic Australian species.
Will the new research study really lead to the protection of the giant cuttlefish, or the protection of the giant Non Australia – BHP Billiton? – Christina Macpherson
Federal and state funds for cuttlefish research, ABC News, September 15, 2011 Research into giant cuttlefish in South Australia’s upper Spencer Gulf will receive $105,000 in federal and state funding.
SA Fisheries Minister Michael O’Brien says a monitoring and evaluation program will look at population biomass, water quality and habitat. There has been some recent concern that fewer cuttlefish are in the upper Gulf.
Concern also has been expressed about the possible effects of discharge if a desalination plant is built in the area. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-15/giant-cuttlefish-research-funding/2900668
South Australia: Labor and Liberal keep uranium mine information from the public
Last night, Labor and Liberal combined to defeat a Greens motion calling on the release of more information from the world’s richest resource company to justify BHPB’s preferred option to send Roxby ore to China for processing.
Labor & Liberal roll over on Roxby ‘China Option’, 15 Sept 11, South Australian Greens Parliamentary Leader Mark Parnell has accused the SA Labor Government and Liberal Opposition of abandoning domestic processing for the Olympic Dam expansion. Continue reading
Wind power a financial winner for South Australian farmers
they will receive about $15,000 per year for each turbine on their properties. Each turbine requires about half a hectare of space. A wheat crop on the same amount of land would yield about $300
Farmers to reap more from wind than crops, Adelaide Now, Katrina Stokes , September 01, 2011THIRTY Yorke Peninsula landowners will reap an average of $90,000 a year to host wind turbines on their land in a $1.3 billion development.Residents have embraced the proposal that will 180 wind turbines on farms near Ardrossan and provide 25 per cent of the state’s daily energy needs. Continue reading
A truly valuable legacy for Premier Mike Rann, to repeal South Australia’s unjust Indenture Act
the Indenture Act trumps all other SA legislation…..Over to you, Mr Rann − repealing the indefensible legal privileges in the current Indenture Act would be a good way to end your tenure as SA Premier.
Above the law: Olympic Dam’s legal privileges, Jim Green and Gavin Mudd, 27 Aug 11 Premier Mike Rann has done us a favour by insisting on concluding negotiations with BHP Billiton over the SA Roxby Downs Indenture Act before leaving office. It is by no means clear that the outcome will be
improved with Mr Rann’s involvement, but he has at least drawn attention to this remarkable legislation.
The Indenture Act governs the operations of the Olympic Dam copper/uranium mine. The legislation was controversial when it was enacted in 1982 and it is all the more inappropriate as the basis for the planned expansion of
the mine.
The Act provides BHP Billiton with the legal authority to override important state legislation including the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988,
the Environmental Protection Act 1993, the Freedom of Information Act
1991, the Natural Resources Act 2004 (including water management issues),
the Development Act 1993 and the Mining Act 1971. Continue reading
Friends of the Earth write to South Australian politicians about Roxby Downs Indenture Act
exemptions from the Environmental Protection Act (1993) are of particular concern. The exclusion of this Act means that the Olympic Dam mine is not subject to the same environmental regulatory framework as other industrial projects in South Australia, and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which administers the Act, is excluded from its monitoring role. BHP’s environmental performance is instead the responsibility of the Minister for Mineral Resources Development, who, based on BHP’s own reports, has full discretion to approve or reject programmes for the management and rehabilitation of the environment, without any obligation to consult with other agencies. Given the Ministers role in promoting mining in SA, this arguably amounts to a conflict of interest.
Re: ROXBY DOWNS INDENTURE ACT
Dear
The Roxby Downs Indenture Act is currently the subject of negotiations between the SA Government and BHB Billiton, owner of the Olympic Dam copper/uranium mine. We expect that in the near future amendments will beintroduced into parliament extending the operation of the Act to the proposed Olympic Dam expansion.
Friends of the Earth is concerned that indefensible legal privileges in the Indenture Act will be retained in the context of the proposed mine expansion, including exemptions and overrides from the SA Aboriginal Heritage Act1988, the Environmental Protection Act 1993, the Freedom of Information Act 1991, and the Natural Resources Act 2004. Continue reading
BHP Billiton above the law, exporting megalitres of Australia’s water – for free!
BHP Billiton: Billions in profits and not paying a cent for water in SA, Friends of the Earth Adelaide, 24th AUGUST 2011 Today mining giant BHP Billiton announced record financial results for the 2011 financial year, recording a total net profit of US$23. 95 billion, nearly double its 2010 figure of US$13.01 billion.
Despite its profits more than tripling in the last three years, BHP has never paid a cent for the vast amounts of water used by the Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine near Roxby Downs. The mine currently uses approximately 35 million litres of water a day from the Great Artesian Basin. Under the Roxby Downs Indenture Act BHP is not required to pay for this water usage.
The Indenture Act applies specifically to the Olympic Dam mine, and provides for wide-ranging legal exemptions and overrides from environmental and Aboriginal heritage protection laws that apply elsewhere in the state, including the Environmental Protection Act and the Natural Resources Act (which incorporates water management issues).
“The Indenture Act means that the Olympic Dam mine is not subject to the same environmental regulatory framework as other industrial projects in the state,’ explained Nectaria Calan of Friends of the Earth Adelaide. “Additionally, by allowing BHP to take water from the Great Artesian Basin for free, the South Australian government is essentially providing BHP with a massive subsidy,” she continued.
The water intake from the Great Artesian Basin has already had adverse impacts on the unique Mound Springs found near Lake Eyre, which are fed by the underlying Artesian Basin, and are sacred to the Arabunna people, the traditional owners of the area.
As part of the proposed expansion of the Olympic Dam mine, BHP Billiton proposes to increase its water consumption by an additional 200 million litres per day. Water intake from the Great Artesian Basin will increase to up to 42 million litres per day, with the remainder to come from a proposed desalination plant at Point Lowly. This amounts to over 100,000 litres of water per minute.
“The vast water usage of uranium mines is often forgotten in the debate about uranium and nuclear energy. Here we are, in the driest state on the driest continent on earth, host to a mine which needs millions of litres of water each day. Due to the Indenture Act, we are essentially exporting our water overseas for free,” said Ms. Calan.
The Indenture Act is currently the subject of negotiations between BHP Billiton and the South Australian government. In the near future amendments will be introduced into parliament to extend the Indenture Act to the proposed expansion.
“The South Australian government is planning to allow the largest uranium mine in the world to go ahead with legal privileges that will allow BHP an impunity characteristic of some third world states,” said Ms. Calan. “The Indenture Act should be repealed completely, allowing BHP to be subject to the same laws as other corporations operating in the state.”
Mount Gambier leads in renewable energy training
Solar & wind power facility best in Australia, ABC Radio Adelaide, 10/08/2011 by Alan Richardson Mount Gambier can now boast that it has the very best facility in Australia for training technicians and installers involved in domestic renewable energy systems.
The $150,000 “Solar & domestic wind turbine installation and grid conect training centre” was built by TAFE students and largely financed by industry sponsors. It has attracted sponsorship and interest from around Australia in fact. The site features a ground level roof structure which has a tiled section, a currugated iron section and a Trimdeck section so students can practice installing solar panels on all roof types. There are also separate controllers and electronics for each set of installed panels , and their output can be monitored remotely via the internet.
BHP and Mike Rann in a hurry to change laws to allow Olympic Dam uranium mine expansion
Just 10 weeks to seal Dam deal, Adelaide Now Sarah Martin August 09, 2011 “…..The insistence of the Premier to stay until the new indenture act is signed off has prompted concern from the Opposition and minor parties that the “whip hand” has been handed to BHP Billiton.
The company yesterday remained tight-lipped on the dealings for the legislation required for the $30 billion expansion
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/just-10-weeks-to-seal-dam-deal/story-fn6bqvxz-1226111312201
BHP Billiton is earmarking nearly $10 billion of a planned $80 billion capital-spending spree over the next five years to expand iron ore and coal mining in Australia but has yet to allocate funding for Olympic Dam…..
Our focus continues to be to… finalise indenture negotiations,” BHP Billiton spokeswoman Kelly Quirke said. The indenture negotiations refer to proposed amendments to legislation in the Roxby Downs township where the mine is located to allow expansion work to commence
BHP Olympic Dam expansion linked to outgoing politician SYDNEY Aug 8 (Reuters) – An Australian politician who has played a key role in developing BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine and is now under pressure to step down has vowed to stay on until Oct. 20 to finalise an expansion of the mine, suggesting talks may be nearing an end. Continue reading
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