Brumby's dirty secret: coal for export

VICTORIA’S massive brown coal reserves look set to be opened up to export for the first time – prompting claims the state is putting commercial opportunity ahead of its responsibility to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Confidential cabinet documents obtained by The Age show the Brumby Government is considering offering billions of tonnes of Latrobe Valley coal for tender next year…

The cabinet documents acknowledge that community concerns could be raised by the export of brown coal, a relatively ”dirty” fuel that emits far more greenhouse emissions to generate power than most alternatives.

But the documents say exports can be justified on three grounds: Victoria cannot unilaterally limit global emissions, the coal products could help developing countries overcome poverty, and emissions may be even higher if countries are denied Victorian coal and use dirtier fuels.

Environment Victoria, the state’s main green lobby, said it was stunned the Government would want to expand an industry that needed to be phased out to tackle climate change.

Campaigns director Mark Wakeham said Victoria justifying coal exports on the grounds that the state was not responsible for a global climate deal would be ”like saying we can’t single-handedly deliver world peace so let’s go on a killing spree”.

The Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the prospect, saying it could be good for jobs in Gippsland. ”It is positive from the point of view of diversification in Latrobe Valley, and the pressure likely faced by the valley from emissions trading,” said spokesman Chris James. ”We also hope it is part of cleaner coal solution”…

via Brumby’s dirty secret: coal for export. theage.com.au

How do you argue with these people? They are telling lies. They are living in a fantasy world. They are purely self-serving and are willing to see the atmosphere destroyed in exchange for a larger bank balance for themselves. They don’t care in any case – about notions of truth, human decency, nothing.

Brown coal’s high water content, flammability and low energy content have discouraged exports, with only a small amount shipped as briquettes.

But drying, gasification and other technologies are said to have the potential to produce exportable commodities including dry coal, diesel, liquid fuels and fertilisers. Proponents say drying will reduce Gippsland coal’s moisture content from more than 60 per cent to about 25 per cent and cut its emissions when burned by about 30 per cent.

Exergen wants to build a demonstration drying plant capable of processing 50 tonnes an hour and making fuel of similar quality to low-grade black coal. If successful, a much larger plant would be developed with exports to flow in 2014.

The scheme would also leave about 16 billion litres of water requiring treatment for re-use.

Have they even done a rudimentary energy audit for drying and processing the coal? That extra energy used to dry the brown coal and the carbon dioxide emissions that result from that drying process would have to be included with the energy cost of brown coal that is proposed for export. And that will fall within an emissions trading scheme [like, hello - is anyone there]. Do they think that they can burn more brown coal to dry brown coal for export, and all so that it comes close to the quality of black coal? Who is going to pay for those carbon dioxide emissions – Victorian tax payers?