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August 2014
Warkworth Continuation Project
The Mount Thorley-Warkworth mine complex is a large open cut coal mine operation near Singleton, in the Hunter Valley, NSW, owned by multinational mining giant, Rio Tinto. The mine achieved notoriety in April 2013 when the NSW Land and Environment Court ruled that it should not be approved as the benefits of the project did
Inquiry into Galilee Basin State Development Area
The Queensland Government is conducting an inquiry into a proposal to declare an official “State Development Area” over prospective coal projects in the Galilee Basin of Central Queensland and across the area between the Galilee Basin and proposed coal export terminals at the port of Abbot Point. The effect of the Galilee Basin State Development
July 2014
Will we let the sun shine in?
This paper focuses on the solar industry in Australia. It provides a brief overview of the size, growth and prospects for the Australian solar industry and argues that as the number of solar panels installed continues to rise, the cost of installation and maintenance will continue to fall. The paper argues that the productivity of
Fighting Dirty on Clean Energy
Australians love renewable energy. A recent survey by The Australia Institute found 86 per cent of respondents want to see more renewable energy and 79 per cent think governments should support an expansion in renewable energy. There is also very strong support for more electricity generated from hydro (72 per cent), wind (80 per cent)
BRIEFING NOTE: Banks at risk of losing customers through investment in coal projects on the Reef
In May The Australia Institute conducted a survey of 1,100 people to determine people’s attitude to their bank funding coal port projects on the Great Barrier Reef. Following the Australian Government’s approval of several new coal ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, survey respondents were asked about the likelihood of changing from
June 2014
Climate of the Nation 2014: Australian attitudes on climate change
Australians are no dinosaurs when it comes to climate change and its solutions. There has always been majority support for Australian leadership in finding solutions to climate change. This held true even though attitudes took a battering during the long political battle from July 2007 when John Howard backed an emissions trading scheme through 2012
Mining the age of entitlement
State governments are more usually associated with the provision of health, education and law enforcement than industry assistance. So it might surprise taxpayers to learn that state government assistance for the mineral and fossil fuel industries consumes significant amounts of their money. Each state provides millions of dollars’ worth of assistance to mining industries every
SUBMISSION: Dewhurst and Bibblewindi gas
The key points of this submission are that: Economic assessment of the projects does not comply with Director General’s Requirements (DGRs); That the justification of the project is based on incorrect information about the Australian East Coast gas market, and that the Department’s EAR is incorrect in relation to the implications of the project for
Seeing through the dust: Coal in the Hunter Valley economy
The Hunter Valley produces and exports large volumes of coal. Supporters of the industry portray it as a ‘vital economic engine room’ and ‘the bedrock of the Hunter’s economy’. In contrast to coal proponents’ claims, however, economic profiles of the region emphasise that the Hunter has a diversified, modern economy, without any one dominant sector,
Report on proposed Watermark Coal Project
The proposed Watermark Coal Project is for the construction of an open-cut mine into agricultural land and native forest, in the Liverpool Plains region, 25km south south-east of the township of Gunnedah and to the immediate west of the village of Breeza, within the Gunnedah Local Government Area. The proposal is for a 30-year open
Bulga Optimisation Project
The Bulga Optimisation Project is a proposal to extend the Bulga open cut coal mine near Singleton, in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The Australia Institute made a submission on the economic assessment done as part of the response to submissions on the original Environmental Impact Statement. The revised assessment by Deloitte Access Economics is a
SUBMISSION: Renewable Energy Target (RET)
The Renewable Energy Target (RET) has been a very successful policy at reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by increasing renewable energy generation. This submission from The Australia Institute recommends that the RET be strengthened to take advantage of the imminent retirement of gas fired electricity generation from the NEM. This submission will focus on three
May 2014
Coalpac – Invincible and Cullen Valley Mine proposal
The Coalpac project is a proposal to expand two coal mines owned by Coalpac, near Lithgow, NSW. In May 2014, The Australia Institute made a submission to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, focussing on the economic assessment of the project. Key points: The coal price used in the EIS is either inaccurate or assumes
Angus Place Colliery Extension Proposal
Angus Place is an underground coal mines near Lithgow, NSW. It is owned and operated by Centennial Coal, a subsidiary of Thai energy company, Banpu. The mine is located in environmentally sensitive areas, adjacent to several state forests and near the Gardens of Stone National Park. The Australia Institute made submissions on the Environmental Impact
Springvale Colliery Extension Proposal
Springvale Colliery is an underground coal mine near Lithgow, NSW. It is owned and operated by Centennial Coal, a subsidiary of Thai energy company, Banpu. The mine is located in environmentally sensitive areas, adjacent to several state forests and near the Gardens of Stone National Park. The Australia Institute made submissions on the Environmental Impact
SUBMISSION: Inquiry into environmental offsets
The Australia Institute has made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, References Committee Inquiry into environmental offsets. We argue that while offsets are often imperfect and need to be well managed, they have a place in environmental management. Our submission relates to the economics of environmental offsets and our experience
SUBMISSION: Streamlining environmental regulation, ‘green tape’ and one stop shops
The Australia Institute has made a submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment inquiry, Streamlining environmental regulation, ‘green tape’, and one stop shops. Our submission draws on earlier TAI research conducted jointly with the Minerals Council of Australia, which found that there is considerable room for improvement in environmental regulation. A
April 2014
SUBMISSION: Cobbora coal project
The Cobbora proposal is to develop an open cut coal mine near the towns of Gulgong and Dunedoo, east of Dubbo, NSW. The mine would extract up to 20 million tonnes per annum of run of mine coal. The mine is proposed by the NSW government-owned Cobbora Holding Company. Our submission focuses mainly on the
March 2014
SUBMISSION: Wallarah 2 coal project
The proposal is to develop an underground coal mine near Wyong, situated between Newcastle and Sydney, NSW. The mine would extract up to 5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of coal which would require little further processing to reach saleable quality. The mine has attracted controversy due to its potential impacts on the local environment,
Briefing Note: Debunking Solving for ‘x’ – The NSW Gas Supply Cliff
This week energy company AGL released a research paper entitled Solving for ‘x’ – the New South Wales Gas Supply Cliff. The paper contains plenty of economic terms and algebra, but these merely serve to provide camouflage for another reiteration of the gas industry’s claims – that NSW is running low on gas and the
Fracking the future
The purpose of this paper is to bust the gas industry’s myths about coal seam gas (CSG). The gas industry has been prolific in putting out exaggerated claims about CSG’s economic benefits while at the same time staying almost completely silent on the health and environmental risks. This paper will look at both the economic
SUBMISSION: Terminal 4 Project
The Australia Institute’s submission on the Newcastle T4 project focuses on the economic assessment and highlights a number of flaws in the economic modelling. The assessment included the use of export growth rates up to 12 times greater than through the mining boom, estimates of coal exports out to 2083, and inflated estimates of coal
Climate Proofing Your Investments: Moving Funds out of Fossil Fuels
Investments in coal, oil, and gas increase financial risk without increasing returns, according to the new report Climate proofing your investments: Moving funds out of fossil fuels published by The Australia Institute. To meet the internationally-agreed two degree global warming limit, fossil fuel businesses must leave in the ground two-thirds of the reserves currently on their books.
SUBMISSION: New Acland Coal Mine Environmental Impact Statement
The New Acland coal mine is applying to expand its operations in one of Australia’s most productive agricultural regions, the Darling Downs. The mine has been controversial since it began, in its impact on the agricultural economy, and in clearing out the town of Acland where now only one resident remains. The New Acland Mine
February 2014
SUBMISSION: Emissions Reduction Fund Green Paper
Competitive grant schemes can be effectively used to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions but they are not sufficient to produce large scale abatement at a low cost. Competitive grant schemes are best used in conjunction with other policies including a broad based carbon price. The carbon price is able to achieve large scale abatement at
SUBMISSION: North Galilee Basin Rail Project
The North Galilee Basin Rail Project is a proposal to build and operate a standard gauge rail line from the northern Galilee Basin to the port of Abbot Point, some 300 kilometres away. The project would have the capacity to move 100 million tonnes per annum of thermal coal, largely sourced from mines proposed by
Stratford Extension Project
The Stratford Extension Project proposes to extend an existing coal mine in the Gloucester Valley, NSW. The Australia Institute made a submission on the economic assessment of the project to the NSW Planning and Assessment Commission in February 2014. Key points: · Economic assessment is based on extremely optimistic coal prices of AUD$178
SUBMISSION: Senate Standing Committee on Direct Action Plan
The political class in Australia needs to overcome its tendency for picking individual climate change policies. Instead we need to take a broader approach to climate change that includes a range of policies if we hope to do our fair share in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid dangerous climate change.
January 2014
Warkworth Coal Project Consent Modification 6: DPI addendum report
In November 2013 The Australia Institute made a submission on the application to modify the consent conditions of Rio Tinto’s Warkworth mine, near Singleton in the Hunter Valley, NSW. This modification allows the mine to expand into areas that the Land and Environment Court had disallowed, as the economic benefits of doing so did not
December 2013
Power down
Until 2010 – for well over a century, through two world wars and the Great Depression – the quantity of electricity used in Australia each year was greater than the year before. In the three years since 2010, the quantity used each year has been less than the year before, and there is no evidence