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Green coal

  • June 6th, 2008

Trans-Tasman this week pans Green opposition to mining, with the headline “Miners among the saviours”. The normally penetrating newsletter goes on to say:“…the mining sector is proving how vital a component in the NZ economy it is becoming. The 1000MW Huntly power station, fuelled by coal, is running flat out because of low hydro storatge, and the Govt hopes it will prove the diffference between this year’s winter and the last power shortage in 2002, when there wasn’t enough coal available for Huntly to run at capacity”.

If they’re right there should be a million or so tonnes of coal to burn through this crisis. So mining is making a critical contribution to New Zealand’s economy.

Still, I have a miner quibble. They’re not our miners.

That coal was Indonesian coal when I last asked about Huntly’s supplies as an MP. I was especially interested, as I was an inaugural director of the SOE that is now Solid Energy.

So our lights will be kept going by Indonesian miners, and the seamen who deliver it to Tauranga, and Toll who set up an efficient service for railing it to Huntly.

Why are we burning Indonesian coal when we have perhaps 900 years supply of our own? Because, among other things, our RMA makes it too hard to open new mines here, we’re too green. We’ll feel so much better about our environment if we make sure the big holes stay in crowded Indonesia.

Comments

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  • jcuknz
  • June 6th, 2008
  • 10:00 pm

I think it would be much preferable if we had wind and sea power as our backup to hydro and the thermal stations as last resort.

I think windmills are elegant creations and I’m assured that the noise they make from people who have stood underneath them is not THAT loud and certainly not objectionable. It is dissapointing to see a campaign against them led by a gifted artist who cannot see the beauty of them and instead wants nuclear power which is far too expensive for a small country like New Zealand.
So I guess I am really against big holes in both Indonesia and NZ 🙂

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  • jcuknz
  • June 6th, 2008
  • 10:01 pm

And long may the snails live!

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  • Spam
  • June 7th, 2008
  • 10:20 am

Anyone noticed that we tend to get less wind in winter…. Just an observation.

Oh – and I look forward to National policy to cut-back the RMA!

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  • jcuknz
  • June 7th, 2008
  • 11:50 am

Having just put a $500 deposit down towards getting permisssion to drop a lump of steel in the sea for a mooring, adjacent to dozens of other lumps already there for decades, I am all for simplification and cost reductions with the RMA.

Instead of knocking wind I would point out that we need to spread the risk and, apart from evaporation, the water saved in summer would go further to meet the load in winter.
There are so many ‘nockers’ around instead of positive sensible thinking toward the solution.

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  • Alan Liefting
  • June 7th, 2008
  • 12:43 pm

Hello Stephan.

Using Indonesian coal has less to do with the RMA, which the party that you as a candidate insigated, and has a whole lot to do with free market policies. You know, those policies that the ACT Party pushes. Weren’t you an MP for them??? Coking coal fetches a premium price so we export it to steel producing countries. Indonesian coal is probably poor quality, pulled out of the ground by low paid Indonesians and transported cheaply to NZ (since there is no carbon tax on transport fuel).

Cheers for now.

Alan Liefting

(oops almost forgot)

Green Party candidate – Waimakariri electorate

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  • Andrew Lappos
  • June 8th, 2008
  • 1:30 pm

Hi Stephen

in regards to a couple of comments made on coal,

can i just say that the green party candidate comments on carbon taxes,are exactly what isnt needed in the New Zealand economy right now, what is needed in New zealand is jobs and incentives, what New Zealand needs to look at is clean coal technology, and more socialist left dribble

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  • Andrew Lappos
  • June 8th, 2008
  • 1:31 pm

sorry meant not more socialist left dribble

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  • Andrew Lappos
  • June 8th, 2008
  • 1:41 pm

Political donations,

TheCurrent NZ law on political advertising and donations is poltical correctness gone mad.

Helen clark and her Government and coalition supporters seem to think, that by tightening rules on forms of advertising that this assists the poltical process, infact thats wrong, this sought of restriction inhibits promotion and debate of on public policy and doesnt allow the candidates a chance to express alternative views.

One way this can all be sorted out is by an alternative government setting rules and regulations which prohibit commercial firms from having particular participation in Government contracts which they gain an unfair advantage, this can also go for donations from political lobbyists and the like, this can be called a poltical donation registar, further reform can be made where polticians disclose there percuniary interests in other company’s, this law is in current legislation in parliaments all over australia, worth while for green candidates and labor candidates to look at before mouthing idealogical rubbish, this should be implemented by an incoming national party Govt

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What a load of idealogical clap trap.

I have never heard something so ludicrous.

if Domestic child abuse is such an issue in NZ, then this is where the law and order policy’s of the govt need looking at, New Zealanders dont need Government interfering in there lives , they need Govt to implement policy to support the community to deal with these issues, may be restructuring a department to deal with these issues and calling it department of community services or Human services, with more programms in place to counsel and support the community

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  • Alan Liefting
  • June 9th, 2008
  • 4:18 pm

Reply to Andrew Lappos:

Admittedly, carbon taxes are only effective if it is done globally. There is no point relying on clean coal technology. Strictly speaking there is no such thing if you look at the whole cycle. To clean up emissions from coal a hell of a lot of energy is needed. It makes the technology uneconomic since the energy output per joule would cost more than other technologies.

Alan Liefting

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  • dirty coal
  • July 21st, 2008
  • 8:29 pm

heya,

so national supports coal mining and burning, if it is from NZ? but wants to send it to China, who already have coal too?

Sounds a bit hypocritical.

dirty coal… takes its toll.

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