#Official Energy Thread

Developments in Regional South Australia. Including Port Lincoln, Victor Harbor, Wallaroo, Gawler and Mount Barker.
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Vee
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#196 Post by Vee » Wed Aug 27, 2014 4:27 pm

Useful SA energy stats, charts from Renew Economy.

Solar in 22.6% of homes in SA, as renewables hit 2020 target
By Giles Parkinson
Nearly one in four homes in South Australia now has rooftop solar, as the share of renewable energy in the state neared 33 per cent in 2013/14 – delivering the state’s ambitious 2020 target six years ahead of schedule.
Check the graphs and summaries.
The state has gone from nearly 80 per cent local gas and coal to just over 55 per cent. Wind accounted for 27 per cent of generation in 2013/14, and solar 5.1 per cent.
A chart shows the progress of emissions reductions over the last few years, since the boom in renewable energy began.
The trend is quite clear ...electricity emissions are down by one quarter over the last five years.
Renew Economy:
http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/solar-2 ... rget-66150

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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#197 Post by Wayno » Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:42 pm

I thought the SA Govt was instrumental to all the local wind farm activity, but apparently not. Still taking credit it seems.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/art ... les-target

Unsure if it's the same situation in all states.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#198 Post by rhino » Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:06 am

I suppose making these announcements shows the industry that here in SA we are welcoming the development of renewable energy initiatives, unlike Victoria, where the Premier announced a year or two ago that there would be no more windfarms being built in his state.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#199 Post by rhino » Thu Oct 16, 2014 9:17 am

From: ABC North and West SA, Port Pirie, Late Breakfast, Sarah Tomlinson 15 Oct 2014 8:50 AM

Interview with Ian Hunter, SA Minister for the Environment, on renewable energy legislation. Tomlinson reports that pastoral leases
across SA have now been opened up for renewable energy developments, like wind and solar, with 95 per cent of the licence
payments going to lease holders. The SA Government passed the Pastoral Land Management Bill yesterday, saying the legislation is
the first of its kind in Australia. Hunter says that pastoralists will have some input into whether developments are approved, but not the
final say. He says that he is waiting for an announcement about Mannum from the Federal Government, as well as details about the
renewable energy target.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#200 Post by rhino » Fri Oct 24, 2014 10:51 am

Trustpower to give council final plans for Palmer wind farm
Energy developer Trustpower Australia will present its final layout plan for a 114-turbine wind farm, at Palmer, to the Mid Murray council next week.

Wind generation development manager Rontheo Van Zyl said the company was not holding back in getting development approval for the project, despite uncertainty about the Renewable Energy Target (RET).

Yesterday, the Federal Government announced it would reduce the target because demand for electricity had decreased.

Mr Van Zyl said a scaled-back target could delay the project.

"It obviously will have a time implication as to when the project could proceed assuming it gets planning approval," he said.

"We are of the view that there will likely to be some renewable energy market in the future even if it isn't the RET because of all the evidence pointing towards all the economic and commercial benefits."

He said the company had done as much as it could to address planning aspects.

"Whether it'll be approved or not will obviously depend on the development panel of the council," he said.

"We're comfortable [that we have] addressed as many of the elements as required."
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#201 Post by rev » Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:34 am

Promise of oil, thousands of jobs as companies hunt in Great Australian Bight

NIGEL AUSTIN
The Advertiser
January 18, 2015 10:52PM

Image
Where the oil drilling could happen in the Bight.

OIL explorers are racing to the Great Australian Bight to uncover an enormous untapped resource that promises thousands of South Australian jobs.

News that up to four new seismic survey missions will this year join three already probing the seabed off South Australia is being seen as a sign of unprecedented confidence in the region’s oil and gas potential.

What prospectors believe may be the world’s next major new oilfield would present a huge economic boost to the state, especially Eyre Peninsula, and create thousands of jobs on land and at sea.

A total of six oil companies will spend $1.2 billion on surveys and the drilling of nine wells across 38,785 sq km of seabed this year and next, the enormous investment coming despite a slump in world oil prices to half what they were last year

State Development Energy Resources Department executive director Barry Goldstein said that if research results were favourable, the explorers would spend a further $1.1 billion on another 13 wells and 9269 sq km of 3D seismic surveys in the following three years.

Mr Goldstein said the bight was the largest relatively unexplored area in the world and that resource companies were attracted by the potential for “giant petroleum accumulations”.

“That perception is sufficient, even at today’s low prices, because they won’t be low forever, for explorers to persist,” he said.

“If exploration is a success, it would take no fewer than five years and as many as 10 years to bring a discovery into production because of the need to get a production facility in place.”

SA Chamber of Mines and Energy chief executive Jason Kuchel said the bight was considered to have the potential to be one of the largest offshore oil basins in the world.

He said the value of oil production from a successful oilfield would be worth many tens of billions of dollars.

Multinational oil company BP has expressed its confidence in the region through a $1.437 billion exploration program, starting with $605 million to be spent on its search for oil and gas, much of it in the next two years.

BP, in partnership with Statoil (30 per cent), is the most advanced explorer and will drill four wells from early next year until late 2017.
The Royal Dutch Shell Olympus tension leg platform sets sail from Kiewit Offshore Service

This follows one year of seismic survey work in 2012, which gave it enough confidence to start drilling in its permit areas, about 300km southwest of Ceduna.

Community benefits will start flowing from the BP exploration this year, with tenders to be issued soon for port facilities at Port Adelaide, a heliport, runway, passenger terminal and hangar at Ceduna and an alternative airfield and passenger terminal at Fowlers Bay, west of Ceduna.

A BP spokesman said some jobs would be created in transport and logistics, supplying fuel, food and transport services.

BP has awarded a $138 million aviation contract to Bristow Helicopters to supply a plane to take workers from Adelaide to Ceduna and supply three helicopters to ferry workers to the oil rig, while a $900 million deep sea oil rig is being built in South Korea.

Chevron has two permit areas next to BP and plans to drill four wells at a cost of more than $500 million between 2016 and 2019 and the two companies plan to share airport and port facilities.

The latest oil exploration activity started in October when a Petroleum Geo-Services survey ship began seismic work on behalf of a Santos and Murphy Oil joint-venture, while TGS launched two survey vessels in December.

Further plans by major international service companies Ion and Schlumberger to produce independent seismic surveys to sell to oil companies are not finalised.

Mr Goldstein said drilling in the bight would be a boon for the state and nation in terms of tax receipts, royalties and energy security, but would have to be carried out in a way that protects human health, safety and the environment.

The tuna industry is concerned about possible interference with migration patterns and is monitoring mining developments.

Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association chief executive Brian Jeffriess, however, said the industry had no major problem with the exploration because the majority view was that the oil industry was good for the state and generated jobs.

The Wilderness Society SA director Peter Owen said the environmental group was opposed to developing an oil industry in the bight for many reasons, these including concerns about possible affects on the marine park, marine species and the environment.

The Australian Conservation Foundation could be contacted for comment.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sout ... 7188977776

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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#202 Post by rhino » Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:37 am

Despite being an environmentalist, I say Bring This On! Would be a fantastic boon to the state, and great for development on the west coast. How is oil usually shipped from offshore? Is it piped on-shore and exported from an on-shore port, or is it pumped straight into carriers from the offshore rigs?
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Re: Port MacDonnell Wave Power Plant

#203 Post by Wayno » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:18 pm

rhino wrote:Wave energy project 'on ice'
VALERINA CHANGARATHIL From: The Advertiser November 15, 2010 6:11PM

A PROPOSED $400 million wave energy project at Port MacDonnell in South Australia has been "put on ice" due to lack of funding.

Carnegie Wave Energy was licensed by the State Government to test its technology on a 17,000ha stretch of seabed for an initial three-year period in February, 2009.

Carnegie Wave managing director Dr Michael Ottaviano said the company was keen to do more, but was looking for government funding.

"Our planned 50MW project was put on ice after we missed out on a Federal Government grant last year,'' he said.

"We are still doing desktop work on the Port MacDonnell site and are keen to do more,'' Dr Ottaviano said.

The Perth-based listed entity has, since the start of this year, been working on a site close to home to test its CETO technology after the WA Government committed $12.5 million in funding.

CETO technology uses the movement of buoys anchored on the ocean floor to drive onshore turbines. Wave motion moves the buoys, driving the pumps and delivering pressurised water to the shore to generate electricity.

Carnegie also has wave energy licences in Victoria and New South Wales.

Initial plans were for Carnegie to complete a small-scale (5-6 MW) plant by 2011 and link up a 50MW plant to the national grid by 2013.

Meanwhile, another company, Wave Rider Energy which uses offshore wave energy converter technology is working on its $5 million plant at Elliston. Heavy steel processor and manufacturer RPG Australia is building the 200-tonne, 110m wide steel structure expected to be in the water by October, 2011.
These guys, Carnegie Wave Energy, have just turned on the worlds first wave energy power plan in WA. It's connected to the national grid.
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Re: Port MacDonnell Wave Power Plant

#204 Post by monotonehell » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:28 pm

Wayno wrote:These guys, Carnegie Wave Energy, have just turned on the worlds first wave energy power plan in WA. It's connected to the national grid.
That's clever, considering WA is not part of the National Grid. :P

Be good to get a few more of these kinds of things going to see what we should be doing in the future.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#205 Post by Wayno » Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:16 pm

Bit of a stretch from Weatherill that businesses will setup here because of lower emissions.

From ABC online:
French company to carbon capture in Adelaide in Australia's first commercial attempt to burn emission-free fossil fuels

A carbon capture plant to be built on Torrens Island Power Station in Adelaide's north-west is expected to have the same impact as taking 16,000 cars off the road.

French company Air Liquide has announced it will run the multi-million-dollar plant, which will capture up to 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

Instead of going into the atmosphere, it will be used to carbonate drinks and treat waste water.

The power station's managing director Andy Vesey expected it to be running by the second half of next year.

Premier Jay Weatherill said it would make SA the first Australian state to capture carbon emissions from a power station and would encourage other businesses to invest.

"We're leading the nation, both in this technology, but also in our carbon footprint and this will become an increasingly important competitive edge for South Australian businesses," he said.

"People will be attracted to come here and set up their operations on the basis of our lower carbon footprint."

AGL took ownership of the 1,280 megawatt gas-fired station from TRUenergy, now called Energy Australia, in 2007.

It is the largest power station in SA, and the largest gas-fired power station in Australia.

Half the site is to be mothballed in 2017 when four of its older generating units, collectively known as A-station, are taken out of service.

The carbon capture it to take place from B-station.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#206 Post by PeFe » Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:21 pm

From the ABC
Alinta Energy to close power stations at Port Augusta and coal mine at Leigh Creek
Image
Coal-fired power stations at Port Augusta in South Australia, and the outback mine which supplies them, will close from early 2018 or possibly sooner, Alinta Energy says.

The company said its Northern and Playford B power stations and Leigh Creek coal mine would not operate beyond March 2018 and might close even sooner.

The closures are not expected before next March but were inevitable as operations had become "increasingly uneconomic", according to the company.

Alinta Energy chief executive officer Jeff Dimery said the decision to close operations had been outlined to the workforce and key stakeholders.

He said the company was liaising closely with the South Australian Government, unions and the communities at Port Augusta and Leigh Creek about the changes.



History of coal-fired power in SA
•1943 Coal mining began at Leigh Creek
•1954 Port Augusta power station commissioned to provide baseload power for SA
•1960 Power station renamed Playford
•1985 Northern power station commissioned
•1999 Power firm ETSA privatised, along with power stations
•2012 Playford B station mothballed
•2015 Alinta announces mine and power station closures by 2018

"There are approximately 440 employees that will be affected by this difficult decision," he said.

"Their welfare and that of their families is our highest priority at this time.

"Our decision to close the business has been made at the conclusion of a detailed strategic review, during which we have consulted extensively and investigated a range of options with key stakeholders over recent months, including the SA Government."

Mr Dimery said that during more than four years of running the business, Alinta had incurred operating losses of about $100 million while also investing another $200 million to extend the operating life of the business.

He said there had been a decline in energy demands in SA as the number of industrial customers had fallen and households had become more efficient, meaning the state had a significant oversupply of available power.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-11/p ... gy/6537814

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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#207 Post by rhino » Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:49 pm

Mr Abbott revealed his true feelings of disdain for windfarms this morning, shamelessly boasting about his efforts to reduce them.

“What we did recently in the Senate was to reduce, Alan, capital R-E-D-U-C-E, the number of these things that we are going to get in the future … I frankly would have liked to have reduced the number a lot more but we got the best deal we could out of the Senate and if we hadn’t had a deal, Alan, we would have been stuck with even more of these things …' Tony Abbott on 2gb radio, 11 June 2015.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#208 Post by claybro » Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:00 pm

There will be a lot of folk in regional Australia breathing a sigh of releif on this. These things are an environmental disaster. It is no conincidence that SA had some of the worst power generating capacity in Australia and was about to require huge power station upgrades, but the state government instead put a lot of eggs into the windfarm basket. A smart move short term, but our baseload requires power to be generated on our behalf and sent from interstate. So whilst we in SA congratualte ouselves on our green credentials, there is a filthy brown coal power station some where in South East Vicotria churning out standby power for us to stop the lights going out. God knows what will happen when the Vics changover to wind power. Or what happens in 20 years when 1000's of these shiny new turbines require complete overhall. Large scale wind farms in many countries are now being seen as a brief aberation back to old technology. Maybe with a federal government not so obsessed with wind and solar farms, they may hopefully start to look at utilising some of our huge uranium reserves in this state of our domestic use.

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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#209 Post by rhino » Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:18 pm

Torrens Island is gas fired and provides base-load power. Tf converting either the Northern or the Playford power station to gas too, and there is a plant at Hallett using gas too. This state has no shortage of gas, we don't need coal.

I disagree with you regarding the windfarms Claybro, I would like to see more of them, and see tidal energy too, but I agree with you on the nuclear point.
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Re: #Official Energy Thread

#210 Post by claybro » Thu Jun 11, 2015 2:44 pm

rhino wrote:Torrens Island is gas fired and provides base-load power. Tf converting either the Northern or the Playford power station to gas too, and there is a plant at Hallett using gas too. This state has no shortage of gas, we don't need coal.

I disagree with you regarding the windfarms Claybro, I would like to see more of them, and see tidal energy too, but I agree with you on the nuclear point.
Yes Rhino, this state does have all the raw materials we need to produce our own energy. My point was, that because we have allowed a greater proportion of our own energy to be generated by an intermittent sorce (wind), and not invested enough in our own generating capacity via stable baseload fuels, we have become more reliant on imported electricity, from Vicotoria, which is generated using the worst kind of coal.

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