todays ceremony 25/06/2010

New jobs created by brown coal export deal
By Anthony Stewart

Updated 48 minutes ago ABC News Online

Map: Traralgon 3844 A Victorian company will sign a deal to export brown coal from the Latrobe Valley to Vietnam.

The $400 million deal will see technology created by Environmental Clean Technologies (ECT) used to generate an exportable form of brown coal.

The company says its technology removes moisture from the coal to produce the equivalent of a black coal pellet.

As part of the deal, the company will build a production facility at Loy Yang Power station by 2014.

Ashley Moore from ECT say the project will have long-term ramifications.

"Yes we do expect it to be the first of many deals globally," he said.

Initially, the company will export 2 million tonnes of coal to Vietnam a year, eventually rising to 20 million tonnes.

Mr Moore says the project will boost jobs in the Gippsland area.

"Victoria is blessed with one of the largest reserves of lignite in the world," he said.

Construction of this facility in the Latrobe Valley will generate several hundred of construction jobs during phase one and growing to over a hundred jobs during the project's life."

Mark Wakeham from Environment Victoria says the decision to export brown coal is a terrible outcome for the environment.

He says brown coal is the most polluting form of energy and promises to clean-up brown coal have been around for decades.

"They haven't materialised. If it was possible to use brown coal in a more environmental friendly way we should be doing it in Victoria," he said.

The Trade Minister, Simon Crean will formalise the agreement with a Vietnamese trade delegation in Melbourne this afternoon.