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State asked to set up biomass generator at OrbostThe Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, has asked the State Government to introduce a greenhouse policy that would enable the development of a major biomass electricity generator at Orbost to supply the whole of far East Gippsland. By Kevin Balshaw - 17th December 2009 - Back to News The Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, has asked the State Government to introduce a greenhouse policy that would enable the development of a major biomass electricity generator at Orbost to supply the whole of far East Gippsland.
Mr Davis said a policy and industry plan supporting the use of timber industry waste for energy production could be incorporated in the state’s Timber Industry Strategy, due for finalisation early 2010.
Mr Davis put the request formally to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings, in Parliament and the minister is expected to table a response when parliamentary sittings resume early February.
"The Victorian Department of Primary Industries has produced an information note
on the role of firewood and woody biomass in greenhouse gas reduction," Mr Davis said.
"The note points out that about 11% of the world’s energy comes from biomass, about half of which is wood. Most significantly, net carbon dioxide emissions from
electricity generation using biomass are in the range of only 5% to 10% of emissions from generation with fossil fuels.
"In fact case studies in Australia have shown emissions to be much less than 5% of the average for electricity generation from coal.
"There are further benefits in that trees act as a carbon sink because they, and the products made from harvested wood, store carbon, and a continuous cycle of regrowth means that forests are carbon neutral."
Mr Davis said this raised a real prospect for the establishment of a biomass generator at Orbost to supply electricity throughout the far east of the region, an area that does not even enjoy the benefit of a natural gas supply.
"Orbost is at the centre of the state’s major timber-producing region," he said. "The industry is in long-term decline, and the most earnest pursuit of people and organisations in the region is to find alternative sources of economic activity."
Mr Davis said it was also pertinent to the case for a biomass development that as the quality of the timber harvest continues to decline, it yields a progressively higher proportion of residual material to sawlog wood.
Currently the ratio is about three parts residue to one part sawlogs, and local industry experts forecast it will eventually increase to a ratio of six to one.
"This increasing volume of residual wood could provide a readily available fuel source for a large biomass generator," Mr Davis said.
"The benefits are that it would use residual wood that is otherwise burnt to allow for forest regeneration, it would assist to diversify the local economy and provide alternative employment in the area, and it would provide a more reliable electricity
supply to East Gippsland.
"Such a plant would also reduce Victoria’s greenhouse emissions and create a
significant carbon credit.
Local people, in association with industry, are looking into the concept, and fully realise that there are cost and technology factors that have to be resolved but are enthusiastic about the potential of the project.
"It would be a major step if the Victorian Government, which claims to be climate change aware, was to introduce a comprehensive biomass policy to encourage biomass research and development."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: kevin.balshaw@parliament.vic.gov.au
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