Power station #2 rumbles into gear

Yep, Andrew Barr exempted them (Transgrid/ActewAGL) from an EIS – despite it being power assets and requiring “Impact Track” assessment by ACTPLA and being part of the infrastructure for the forthcoming massive gas-fired power station.

Letter here:
http://203.9.249.2/e-registers/pubnote/pdf/SUPP-200813507-ACTPLA-EIS_Exemption-01.pdf

Skidbladnir said :

Those same Macarthur residents who were so vocally worried about the health of other people before (remember the plume that was going to blanket all of South Canberra?)…

Are they going to come out screaming again?

They (we) are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they protest, then they are whinging NIMBYs who are never satisfied and if they don’t, then they really are NIMBYs because they only care about their own backyards. It’s a lose/lose situation. Frankly, I find the level of vitriol aimed the Macarthur/Fadden/Woden/Tuggeranong residents who protested the original development really alarming – why are people so bloody angry about the people most affected by this development coming forward and fighting to stop it? Will the Williamsdale people who protest this massive power station in their midst also be NIMBYs? Is everyone who objects to something being built near them considered to be a NIMBY?

What I find interesting is that the CT article states that there isn’t a requirment for an environmental impact statement for the 500mw power station, because Andrew Barr has ‘waived’ the requirement. WTF??????????

miz said :

I don’t think he’s a NIMBY. No one would have a problem with eg a solar power station, but this thing means fossil fuel pollution where ever it is placed.

If people are serious about delaying/reducing climate change (because nobody can stop it) they might need to make some hard decisions that go against their environmental instincts. There are people who are not only not environmentally conscious but simply don’t care if some species of animal or plant is unnaturally selected out. For them this is not a moral issue and I believe they have a right to this view. People have to be pragmatic. If gas fired power stations put out less carbon emissions (do they?) then there will be an environmental benefit as well as a loss.

And people who think that solar or bio or geo or wind are an effective techno fix are in cloud cuckoo land.

I want it there. Can’t recharge my Volt at night on solar.

I don’t think he’s a NIMBY. No one would have a problem with eg a solar power station, but this thing means fossil fuel pollution where ever it is placed. I bet Williamsdale don’t want it, and you wouldn’t either if it were near you. It’s sensible to make your voice heard.

It’s good to see that if this goes ahead we’ll be able to meet our power requirements in the immediate future, but what about longer term? Where’s the strategy for renewable power sources??

If the NIMBYs come out to protest a gas turbine, what will they say about a wind farm at Hume!?!

I found it quite interesting checking out the the web sites of ActewAGL’s Partners in Canberra Technology City. The relevance of mentioning this is the Actew and ActewAGL are still being run by the same people, some in different jobs.

http://www.technicalrealestate.com.au/home.htm

http://www.galileoconnect.com/index.html

Lots of nice computer graphics. Lots of common names.

Pictures of real data centres? Up to date Press releases?

Working alternative language buttons?

I’ve taken you past their front pages to avoid some seriously annoying noise

Mr_Shab said :

Well golly. They’ve got a map with a vague reference to something being “most polluted”! I’m convinced.

From Digga’s web site:
“Our image is created by Dr Chris Klootwjik who … holds shares in geothermal energy companies and resides in Macarthur.”

So that’s what the Nimby’s call an independent assessment.

Anyhow, someone in today’s Canberra Times was complaining that a power station shouldn’t be on the Williamsdale site because it was too close to the Murrumbidgee River and it might pollute it.

The link is http://www.technicalrealestate.com.au/partners.htm