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OT: Current Affairs and Politics

Gronk

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They literally think that storming the Capital Building was like a year 12 muck-up day that got out of hand.


And her son is ???

960x0.jpg
 

Gronk

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73,552
Well, we can’t say we weren’t warned. EU passes tariffs on imports from irresponsible polluters.


 

Gronk

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^^^^^ Michael McCormack (dep PM, leader of Nats) was just interviewed on the ABC.

He said (paraphrasing)

Abc: this will hit our exporters if we can’t show the EU meaningful action on climate change.
MM: we are doing great and hitting our targets.
Abc: yeah but that might not be enough to avoid border tariffs
MM: oh well, there are other markets
 

Bandwagon

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^^^^^ Michael McCormack (dep PM, leader of Nats) was just interviewed on the ABC.

He said (paraphrasing)

Abc: this will hit our exporters if we can’t show the EU meaningful action on climate change.
MM: we are doing great and hitting our targets.
Abc: yeah but that might not be enough to avoid border tariffs
MM: oh well, there are other markets

Yeah, there's always China..........
 

Gary Gutful

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Messages
51,727
Japan is our biggest partner and has been pre-covid. India (not sure if you've heard of them..apparently they are big), Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brazil are all still saying "yes please". We have the cream of the cream which is in serious demand and will withstand political posturing better than supplies from other countries. China are only hurting themselves.
 

Gronk

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Staff member
Messages
73,552
Japan is our biggest partner and has been pre-covid. India (not sure if you've heard of them..apparently they are big), Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brazil are all still saying "yes please". We have the cream of the cream which is in serious demand and will withstand political posturing better than supplies from other countries. China are only hurting themselves.
A friend of mine owns a (small premium) HV winery and 60% of his production went to China, the rest is domestic, a fraction to USA. He’s f**ked. He’s doing deals to move his reserves, but you can imagine how Coles and Woolworths are screwing him over. Sad because he really struggled with the cellar door in 2020, restructured via his database to mail order, now this.
 

Twizzle

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150,753
Victoria's Latrobe Valley coal-to-hydrogen pilot project gets green light from EPA
ABC Gippsland

By Jarrod Whittaker, Emma Field and Beth Gibson

Posted ThuThursday 14 FebFebruary 2019 at 7:48pm
476a69ddffdb2f4061043980d2613324

The pilot project will test the feasibility of producing hydrogen from brown coal.(
ABC Gippsland: Emma Field
A world-first pilot project which will turn brown coal from Victoria's Latrobe Valley into hydrogen has been approved by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project, spearheaded by a Japanese-led consortium, will test the feasibility of producing hydrogen from brown coal and shipping it to Japan for use in the domestic market.

The one-year project, led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, will begin in mid-2020, with production to be handled at a plant adjacent to the Loy Yang power station.

It will use 160 tonnes of brown coal from Loy Yang's mine to create three tonnes of hydrogen which will be shipped to Japan at a loading terminal in the Port of Hastings via a specially-designed boat.

Announced in April 2018, then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull attended the launch of the project, which received $50 million each from the Victorian and Federal governments.

Mr Turnbull said last year that the project could provide jobs into the future, but the consortium could only proceed the commercial stage if it was able capture and store its greenhouse gas emissions.

The consortium expects the project to generate 100 tonnes of carbon emissions during the pilot phase, which it says is equivalent to the output from 20 cars.

The EPA's director of development assessments, Tim Faragher, said the proposal was about demonstrating that the process could work, and gathering information which could lead to a commercial project.

"We're very comfortable that the emissions and the waste products that will come out of this proposal can all be safely managed and are all acceptable to our protective standards," Mr Faragher said.

Environmental concerns
Environmental groups, however, have slammed the proposal.

Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth said the EPA decision was not transparent and the Victorian government should not be investing $50 million in coal projects.

"We are disappointed a progressive government and a government that 'gets' climate change is pushing this sort of technology," Mr Walker said.

What's the fuss about?

Tipped as the future of green motoring, hydrogen cars are virtually emissions-free and both simple and fast to refuel.

But Mr Walker's bigger concern was if the pilot project turns into a commercial-scale operation, as this would rely on carbon capture storage technology to be carbon neutral, and this was unproven.

"If it is approved and if it is commercialised, then there will be very significant impacts on groundwater, on air quality, on public health and on greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

Under the proposed full-scale project, the hydrogen would be shipped to Japan from the Port of Hastings in South Gippsland.

French Island resident Chris Chandler, who is part of the Save Westernport Action Group, said that if the project were to be expanded for the trial stage, it would require large scale dredging at the ecologically fragile site.

"That dredging would probably lead to the death of sea grass and huge die off of the ecology at Western Port," he said.

Bill Shorten announced a Labor government would spend $1.14 billion on a national hydrogen plan in a bid to become a world leader in the sector.

"We're in a really good position where we have bipartisan support, and that means no what matter what government is elected, come the federal election a hydrogen strategy will be realised," Ms Johnson said.

"We believe this will set a very good foundation for scaling up the sector given the investment it needs."

Council sees jobs potential
c2effd9da998c8b1e58056ab65250c8a

Latrobe City Councillor Graeme Middlemiss pictured near the Morwell power station.(
ABC Gippsland: Robert French

The Latrobe City Council has described the project as "one of the possible futures" for the local economy after recent job losses in the region.

In 2017, the Latrobe Valley lost 750 jobs when the Hazelwood power station closed, which was followed by the loss of 160 jobs when the Carter Holt Harvey sawmill closed.

Mayor Graeme Middlemiss has welcomed the project and believes coal still has a future in the region.

"But let's make it very clear, we're not talking about the current state of the 1970s or '60s designed plants which are putting out a fairly high proportion of greenhouse gasses," Cr Middlemiss said.

"I'm talking about high-tech, low emissions future uses of brown coal and they probably won't be used for electricity generation."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-14/latrobe-valley-coal-to-hydrogen-project-approved/10812464

I'd like to know more about how they do this as I understand that they wont be burning the coal and hence the huge emissions. The Greenies seem to be against it but they seem to be against everything.

This is a world first.
 

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
73,552
Victoria's Latrobe Valley coal-to-hydrogen pilot project gets green light from EPA
ABC Gippsland

By Jarrod Whittaker, Emma Field and Beth Gibson

Posted ThuThursday 14 FebFebruary 2019 at 7:48pm
476a69ddffdb2f4061043980d2613324

The pilot project will test the feasibility of producing hydrogen from brown coal.(
ABC Gippsland: Emma Field
A world-first pilot project which will turn brown coal from Victoria's Latrobe Valley into hydrogen has been approved by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain project, spearheaded by a Japanese-led consortium, will test the feasibility of producing hydrogen from brown coal and shipping it to Japan for use in the domestic market.

The one-year project, led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, will begin in mid-2020, with production to be handled at a plant adjacent to the Loy Yang power station.

It will use 160 tonnes of brown coal from Loy Yang's mine to create three tonnes of hydrogen which will be shipped to Japan at a loading terminal in the Port of Hastings via a specially-designed boat.

Announced in April 2018, then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull attended the launch of the project, which received $50 million each from the Victorian and Federal governments.

Mr Turnbull said last year that the project could provide jobs into the future, but the consortium could only proceed the commercial stage if it was able capture and store its greenhouse gas emissions.

The consortium expects the project to generate 100 tonnes of carbon emissions during the pilot phase, which it says is equivalent to the output from 20 cars.

The EPA's director of development assessments, Tim Faragher, said the proposal was about demonstrating that the process could work, and gathering information which could lead to a commercial project.

"We're very comfortable that the emissions and the waste products that will come out of this proposal can all be safely managed and are all acceptable to our protective standards," Mr Faragher said.

Environmental concerns
Environmental groups, however, have slammed the proposal.

Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth said the EPA decision was not transparent and the Victorian government should not be investing $50 million in coal projects.

"We are disappointed a progressive government and a government that 'gets' climate change is pushing this sort of technology," Mr Walker said.

What's the fuss about?

Tipped as the future of green motoring, hydrogen cars are virtually emissions-free and both simple and fast to refuel.

But Mr Walker's bigger concern was if the pilot project turns into a commercial-scale operation, as this would rely on carbon capture storage technology to be carbon neutral, and this was unproven.

"If it is approved and if it is commercialised, then there will be very significant impacts on groundwater, on air quality, on public health and on greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

Under the proposed full-scale project, the hydrogen would be shipped to Japan from the Port of Hastings in South Gippsland.

French Island resident Chris Chandler, who is part of the Save Westernport Action Group, said that if the project were to be expanded for the trial stage, it would require large scale dredging at the ecologically fragile site.

"That dredging would probably lead to the death of sea grass and huge die off of the ecology at Western Port," he said.

Bill Shorten announced a Labor government would spend $1.14 billion on a national hydrogen plan in a bid to become a world leader in the sector.

"We're in a really good position where we have bipartisan support, and that means no what matter what government is elected, come the federal election a hydrogen strategy will be realised," Ms Johnson said.

"We believe this will set a very good foundation for scaling up the sector given the investment it needs."

Council sees jobs potential
c2effd9da998c8b1e58056ab65250c8a

Latrobe City Councillor Graeme Middlemiss pictured near the Morwell power station.(
ABC Gippsland: Robert French

The Latrobe City Council has described the project as "one of the possible futures" for the local economy after recent job losses in the region.

In 2017, the Latrobe Valley lost 750 jobs when the Hazelwood power station closed, which was followed by the loss of 160 jobs when the Carter Holt Harvey sawmill closed.

Mayor Graeme Middlemiss has welcomed the project and believes coal still has a future in the region.

"But let's make it very clear, we're not talking about the current state of the 1970s or '60s designed plants which are putting out a fairly high proportion of greenhouse gasses," Cr Middlemiss said.

"I'm talking about high-tech, low emissions future uses of brown coal and they probably won't be used for electricity generation."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-14/latrobe-valley-coal-to-hydrogen-project-approved/10812464

I'd like to know more about how they do this as I understand that they wont be burning the coal and hence the huge emissions. The Greenies seem to be against it but they seem to be against everything.

This is a world first.

I saw Professor someone on the ABC two days ago and he said that hydrogen production comes from either of two processes. The first is the renewable which uses wind solar energy to create hydrogen and the by-product is oxygen. Noice.

https://arena.gov.au/renewable-energy/hydrogen/

The second is this way ^^ and the by-product is Co2. He then said that you have to be very careful on how you capture the co2 because it defeats the purpose if you just release it. So agree with you, this could be just the mining lobby extending the life of coal reserves by stealth.
 

Gary Gutful

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Messages
51,727
Carbon geosequestration. It can also be sequestered in plants and algae (something that will become more and more popular). That process known as 'Blue Carbon'.

To create hydrogen you need energy. If we want to be part of the emerging hydrogen economy it will be difficult to make it at scale using "green hydrogen". "Brown" or "blue hydrogen" is a potential stepping stone that is acknowledged in the National Hydrogen Strategy.

To suggest it is the mining lobby extending the life of assets by 'stealth' is a bit crude and unreasonable. They will be an important part of our transition to a decarbonised economy and offer critical assets, resources and skillsets that will enable this transition.

That said, the dumbest comment was actually the one about seagrass and dredging. We love to find a way to say no don't we?
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
150,753
I watched this this morning and have to admit I was fascinated by the process but they kept their cards close to their chest, which is fair enough as I assumed this is a patented process.

They need power which they say has to be green power but to me that's a PR exercise as any power source will achieve the same result. The whole interview seemed to be a PR exercise so no surprise the ABC were all over it but I am only interested in the engineering concepts that way I can make up my own mind as to whether its providing a diverse use of coal resources, or just a PR spin. At least they are not burning it.

Still want to know more though. If we are not burning the coal this is a win win and I dont take much notice of the Greenies objections as if they had it their way we'd all be living in tents.
 

hindy111

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Messages
58,519
A friend of mine owns a (small premium) HV winery and 60% of his production went to China, the rest is domestic, a fraction to USA. He’s f**ked. He’s doing deals to move his reserves, but you can imagine how Coles and Woolworths are screwing him over. Sad because he really struggled with the cellar door in 2020, restructured via his database to mail order, now this.

Oh yeah a friend of yours. Does he even have a name? Ffs
 

Bandwagon

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Staff member
Messages
41,836
Japan is our biggest partner and has been pre-covid. India (not sure if you've heard of them..apparently they are big), Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Brazil are all still saying "yes please". We have the cream of the cream which is in serious demand and will withstand political posturing better than supplies from other countries. China are only hurting themselves.

China is far and away our biggest trading partner, on any measure. I agree they are hurting themselves, but you'd have to ignore a hell of a lot to come to the conclusion they are only hurting themselves.
 

Bandwagon

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
41,836
Carbon geosequestration. It can also be sequestered in plants and algae (something that will become more and more popular). That process known as 'Blue Carbon'.

To create hydrogen you need energy. If we want to be part of the emerging hydrogen economy it will be difficult to make it at scale using "green hydrogen". "Brown" or "blue hydrogen" is a potential stepping stone that is acknowledged in the National Hydrogen Strategy.

To suggest it is the mining lobby extending the life of assets by 'stealth' is a bit crude and unreasonable. They will be an important part of our transition to a decarbonised economy and offer critical assets, resources and skillsets that will enable this transition.

That said, the dumbest comment was actually the one about seagrass and dredging. We love to find a way to say no don't we?

If it is feasible to do, and results in lower emissions, then what you literally have is a solution to the vexatious problems of closing mines and literally shutting down towns, because it creates an entire industry that requires the very same resource.

Miners wouldn't need to learn to code

At least not yet anyways........
 

Gary Gutful

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Messages
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China is far and away our biggest trading partner, on any measure. I agree they are hurting themselves, but you'd have to ignore a hell of a lot to come to the conclusion they are only hurting themselves.
Not by the measure I was referring to given I was discussing coal. Japan were our biggest trading partners for thermal and metallurgical coal in 2019.

What specifically am I ignoring by reaching the conclusion (born out through evidence) that Australia will simply trade with other countries and China will be left paying higher $ for shittier coal?
 

Bandwagon

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Staff member
Messages
41,836
Not by the measure I was referring to given I was discussing coal. Japan were our biggest trading partners for thermal and metallurgical coal in 2019.

What specifically am I ignoring by reaching the conclusion (born out through evidence) that Australia will simply trade with other countries and China will be left paying higher $ for shittier coal?

Why would you be specifically limiting your reply to discussing coal?

I wasn't discussing coal, nor specifically was the post I responded to.

I mean personally I couldn't give a f**k whether China bought our coal or not, I aint about to cry over a bunch of billionaires losing a bit of revenue and having to work to replace it.
 
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