is the price a price signal?, page-5

Just making some random comments here as its late.

Dis, gas also emits CO2. Let's assume it is 50% cleaner than brown coal (I have seen various figures) - that means it is... {$35 + ($26 x 1.5)} = $74 per MWhr for brown coal, (the Age says $38 to $51 per MWhr for gas), so {$38 + ($26 x 0.75)} = $57.50 (say $58) to {$51 + ($26 x 0.75)} = $69.50 (call it $70) per MWhr for gas, so it is cheaper as you say.

I personally think $26 per tonne (if that is the price) is a bit of a joke. If you had to remove 1 tonne of CO2 from the atmosphere, how much would it cost you? That has to be the market rate, in an ideal world, which we are far from, I do admit.

I would also like to know how much the government subsidises plants like Hazelwood (including hidden subsidies), and take those costs into account.

Unfortunately in Victoria we elected numb-nuts Baillieu. Brumby was saying he would close Hazlewood. Baillieu probably wants to expand it. I'm not exactly sure what his policy is, but I don't think closing it any time soon is on the agenda. He has also been influenced by those extreme nutcases Landscape Guardians and he will probably stop building wind farms, LOL. I think the Landscape Guardians want to go back to more traditional (and permanent) forms of ruining the landscape, like coal mines.

PT, I had some shares in PTR at one point. Luckily for me I had to sell them before the SP slump. I think they are an excellent company. What's happening in China? Did anything ever come of that?