Monday 30 October 2006

Gas-power future in the pipeline

The Australian
October 30, 2006

NATURAL gas, not nuclear or solar energy, will power Australia's transition to a lower greenhouse-emissions future, with a trebling of gas power plants planned or under construction over the next eight years.

A report released yesterday by the gas industry says renewable energy sources such as solar and wind cannot meet expanding energy demand on their own and that it will be "some time" before they are cost competitive on a large scale.

The report, by the Australian Pipeline Industry Association, says Australia is unlikely to switch to nuclear energy because of negative public perceptions, while gas had 60 per cent lower emissions than coal-fired power and was proven and available.

Association chief executive Cheryl Cartwright said the recent debate on the use of nuclear and solar energy ignored gas as a cheaper and ready-to-install technology that could start to immediately cut Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. "Gas is more expensive than coal but it's cheaper than renewables and it's available now," she said.

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