MORE NEWS, 2-8 (NEW ENERGY FOR W. AUSSIE GHOST TOWNS; CHINA BUYS ENERGY, NEW AND OLD; SUN, WIND NEED BIG $$ IN BAHRAIN; BIOFUELS POLLUTE PHILIPINNES)

NEW ENERGY FOR W. AUSSIE GHOST TOWNS
Abandoned towns should go green: Opposition
Aja Styles, February 5, 2009 (WA Today)

"Green power is the solution to Ravensthorpe's and Hopetoun's employment and property woes, according to Opposition spokeswoman for Regional Development, Alannah MacTiernan.

"The South Coast towns have been the hardest hit by the global financial crisis since BHP Billiton announced the closure of its local nickel mine and the dismissal of 1800 workers."

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"Ms MacTiernan has dismissed the State Government's development of a $60 million road through the region's Fitzgerald National Park to enhance tourism and jobs as "controversial" and short-term…

"She said $30 million would be better spent developing wave or biomass technology, which could supply power to a lithium mining project being proposed for the area. She said there was also community concern that the road could spread dieback through the forest…"

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"…a trial of an oil mallee biomass plant in Narrogin had already proven successful and could be developed in Ravensthorpe at a commercial scale, providing five megawatts of power to local communities and the mine…

"Wave technology being trailed in Albany was another possibility and could be created at Hopetoun, with seawater desalination being another potential outcome…the mine was undergoing feasibility assessments but if launched could create up to 100 permanent jobs…it would take two years to develop either of the two renewable energy power plants…The projects would be viable for Commonwealth funding."


CHINA BUYS ENERGY, NEW AND OLD
China puts £60bn into energy
Terry Macalister, 5 February 2009 (UK Guardian)

“China will spend 580bn yuan (£59.5bn) expanding its energy sector in 2009 with plans for new solar and wind-powered generating capacity, but also nuclear and coal-fired plants.

“State-owned power companies were stepping up investment to meet growing demand and boost economic growth as part of a government stimulus plan, said Zhang Guobao, director of China's National Energy Administration. He also called on ministers to ensure there were appropriate measures to raise and save energy as well as using it more efficiently."

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“China is heavily dependent on cheap coal to generate much of its electricity but is on a drive to cut carbon and other pollution in its smog-filled cities by going at least partly green. Statistics show it consumed 2.74bn tonnes of coal in 2008, up 4.5% on the previous year, but the rate of growth was 1.6% lower than in 2007."

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“China's wind market is one of the fastest growing in the world with the exception of the US. A recent study by the Global Wind Energy Council predicted it may have installed capacity of 122 gigawatts by 2020, equivalent to the capacity of five Three Gorges dams.

“No further details were given by Zhang about wider plans for expanding energy generation, but the China Daily newspaper said Beijing was looking forward to eight more nuclear plants, with a total of 16 reactors being operational within three years. The country currently has 11 nuclear reactors supplying about 1% of its power, but wants to see that contribution rise to at least 5%."


SUN, WIND NEED BIG BUCKS IN BAHRAIN
$900m needed for green energy
February 3, 2009 (Gulf Daily News)

"Bahrain will have to invest an estimated $900 million (BD340m) in wind and solar power in the next decade to meet the growing demand for energy…According to the World Energy Council, the Gulf will require 100GW (gigawatts) of additional power to meet demand, said the International Solar Energy Society's (ISES) Bahrain chapter Arabic section chairman Prof Dr Waheeb Alnaser.

"…Bahrain would require investments of 1,200MW (megawatts)… Kuwait would also need to spend $2.5m (BD945m), Oman $800m (BD302m), Qatar $600m (BD226.8m), Saudi Arabia $15 billion (BD5.67bn) and the UAE $5.1bn (BD1.9bn)…"

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"Prof Alnaser said the only drawback at the moment was the high cost of solar energy technology…However, Prof Alnaser said the cost of solar panelling such as photovoltaic (PV) panels was expected to decrease… at the moment the price of PV material hovered around five euros (BD2.46) per peak Watt.

"Prof Alnaser said in addition to renewable energy options the GCC should also harness the benefits of investing in 'green buildings'…He said these reduced carbon dioxide emissions, lowered water consumption, improved energy efficiency and improved indoor air quality, among others."

Built-in wind turbines on Bahrain's World Trade Center could supply 11-to-15% of the building’s power. (click to enlarge)

"Prof Alnaser was speaking at the International Forum on Cleaner Technologies for Economic Development…under the patronage of Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro and organised by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in co-operation with Kuwait Finance House (KFH).

"The forum included a ministerial meeting on Monday that was attended by about 20 ministers of Industry and Environment of Gulf countries, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe…[that] adopted the Manama Declaration: Zeroing industrial wastes and emissions through cleaner and resource efficient technologies and products. More than 300 public and private sector representatives, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and researchers [attended]… "


BIOFUELS POLLUTE PHILIPINNE WATER
Biofuel plant may threaten water supply
Cecillia M. Rodriguez, February 2, 2009 (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

"The controversial bioethanol plant to be built within the watershed area here has drawn flak from residents and environmentalists for its potential threat to the city’s main water supply source, as well as destruction to a world-famous tourist attraction.

"Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has asked Congress to investigate the construction of the plant. Specifically, he wanted to know how it was able to secure permission from the city government to build the plant adjacent to the Cagayan River…

"The proposed bioethanol plant is a P2.1-billion project of the Davao-based Alcantara and Sons Consolidated Resources (Alsons) to be built within a 16-hectare property in Barangays Mambuaya and Bayanga. It expects to produce 33 million liters of bioethanol every year."

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"Rodriguez filed House Resolution No. 852 urging the committee on ecology to investigate the project…the city council passed an ordinance reclassifying the land use in Bayanga and Mambuaya from agricultural to agro-industrial to pave the way for the plant’s construction…

"Alsons has defended the project as having complied with the Biofuels Act and adhering to environmental regulations…[lawyer Nanette Royo of Barangay Bayanga, a convenor of the Kagayan Watershed Alliance (Kawal)] described the project as a case of 'good idea, bad location.'"

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"…Alsons will use coal to fuel its boiler for cassava processing, its basic ingredient in biofuel production…Rodriguez agreed with environmentalists when they warned that cyanide, a byproduct of bioethanol, could accidentally spill into the river and kill the city’s only source of life and water. It could also lead to losses amounting to millions of pesos which was spent by the city government to promote white river rafting as a tourism attraction…

Water from Muñigi River, a major tributary of the Cagayan River, will be used by the bioethanol plant and catch chemically treated waste…the plant would not only affect 5,000 households dependent on the river for their daily water needs, but also endanger endemic species thriving in the river.

The Bayanga-Mambuaya watershed still hosts several endangered species like the tarsier, the Brahminny hawk and Philippine eagle and the kasili, pigok and anga fish, said a briefer by the alliance Kawal…[Alsons] was still awaiting the approval of the environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources before they could begin construction..."