austrralia's bleak energy future

There is a disconnect between growing energy demand and growing protest against what appears to be all forms of energy production.

There is widespread criticism of coal fired electricity generation. Most would have some awareness of the issues and many would understand that it is the cheapest available form of base load power and likely to be so for decades in the absence of pricing carbon.

With that as a backdrop, it is disturbing that there is no over-aching Federal energy policy that sets a framework for the nation at state government, local government, corporate and personal levels. Not a lot appears to be planned and the industry, if you can call it that, is dogged with agendas. The implications for even 10-20 years out are dire, more so because they are not being constructively discussed.

In the current Weekend Australian there is a feature article siding with growing, powerful protests over the proposed ten fold growth of wind energy to provide up to 15% of Australia's energy needs within a decade or so.

There are growing, powerful protests over approved coal seam gas industry expansion on the eastern seaboard. There are many who would shut this industry down in a moment if they could because of perceived and/or real local environmental concerns.

There is widespread criticism of the nuclear option and there would be less than a snowball's chance of another Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme ever being built in this country.

Governments are no more silent disempowered, witnesses than they are innocent bystanders on the issues of the nation's future energy needs.

Victoria is hostage to corporates that purchased that state's coal fired energy generating assets a decade or so ago and the Government has not found a way (or does not have the will?) to legislate at least a timed shift away from relying on the world's dirtiest coal fired power stations. How could they, they passed the buck a decade ago and profited handsomely.

NSW is in a real bind, unable to privatise its coal fired generating assets and unable to afford to upgrade them or decrease reliance on them by legislating a timed shift to scalable, cleaner energy alternatives, even the obvious transitionary choice of gas.

Queensland has simply chosen to anoint the coal seam gas industry (for its export revenues), to the apparent exclusion of emerging alternatives such as underground coal gasification for just one example and in defiance of growing protests over environmental concerns. This, whilst also supporting all things to do with opening new coal fields. Queensland's energy policy appears to be driven by supporting industries that will maintain strong royalties for the state and has nothing to do with encouraging emerging energy alternatives.

The Federal Government, now in the grips of well meaning "sound, good but impractical socialist (green) utopian policies" (thank you Gina Reinhart, 2002) who are chipping away in no mans land criticising coal, complaining about gas, questioning wind, fighting hydro and recoiling about nuclear.

The consequences of no cognisant energy policy matching as best can be done demand, supply and the environment will include massive increases in the cost of energy, power brown outs and black out and a capacity constrained economy in the decade ahead.

Do we as nation really have the luxury of being able to protest against all forms of commercial energy production whilst at the same time asserting our right to the energy consuming lifestyle we have become accustomed to and accept as the norm?

Where to now?

Dex