"No Coal Joel" slams Government for 'Liddell Hoax'

BY MICHAEL COOK

After pushing for the life of AGL's Liddell power station to be extended by 10 years, the Turnbull Government now seems to have turned its back on the proposition.

The potential extension of the Muswellbrook  power station to 2032 was earmarked to cost around $900 million but is now off the table.

In a major energy speech on Monday by Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, there was no mention of the power station's extension, all but confirming it is no longer on the agenda for the government.

In the speech, Frydenberg looked instead to AGL's cleaner energy investment plan as the right way forward in energy policy.

Liddell Power Station
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8877002-3x2-700x467.jpg

Federal Member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon, who Frydenberg referred to as "No Coal Joel" in a recent Parliament House spat, is disappointed in the way the Prime Minister has gone about this issue.

"What Malcolm Turnbull did was raise false hope, he wanted people to believe he can extend Liddell to get him through the next election campaign.

"He's been caught out, thank goodness I think he's now getting out of the way and letting us work with AGL to create the jobs of the future," Fitzgibbon said.

The move away from the extension may signal a shift in electricity regeneration in the area as well as nationwide. 

The future of energy developed in Newcastle

BY TYLER FARDELL

An environmentally friendly, renewable energy on demand system developed in partnership by the University of Newcastle and Infratech Industries, is being labelled as a solution to Australia's energy crisis.

The CLES (Chemical Looping Energy on Demand System) will put the production, distribution and management of power, oxygen and hydrogen into the hands of the consumer.

The CLES us about the size of a fridge, and uses naturally occurring gas to create oxygen, hydrogen and heat.

By using only natural gas, the CLES releases only a third of the Greenhouse Gas emissions of fossil fuels compared with other renewable energy sources.

Turbines in the machine are then powered by the heat to generate electricity, with the overall efficiency of the process above 90 percent.

Director of the research centre for Frontier Energy Technologies and Utilisation at the University of Newcastle, Professor Behdad Moghtaderi says this is game changing, and it should be available to consumers either late this year or early next.

Greens call out Labor over ARENA deal with Coalition

BY JARROD MELMETH

The Greens have called out labour for "striking a dirty deal with the coalition" which could see $500 million cut from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Labor have struck a deal worth $800 million over the next five years with the coalition which Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon says has secured over 40 Newcastle-based positions at the National Solar Energy Centre in Mayfield West.

"This is great news for Newcastle, that we will be able to maintain world class serious research into renewable energy."

"I can assure, having met with some of the CSIRO people yesterday, they are very pleased to have some bipartisan support at long last around these critical issues of targets, financing, and the ARENA programs."

Greens Senator, Lee Rhiannon says the cuts highlight the Coalitions false commitment to innovation, and Labor's false commitment to clean energy.

"Labor have tried to put a good spin on what is a bad outcome for the renewable energy future," she says.

"Not only is this a brutal blow to clean energy investment, research and development across the country, it is a huge setback for regional communities...who benefit from projects like these.

There should have been no cuts to ARENA at a time where the urgency of climate change is becoming clearer every day."

ARENA was established in 2012 and it has delivered $1 billion dollars to 250 renewable energy projects, including a total of $268.4 million for large-scale solar projects.

The Greens will introduce an amendment to protect the entire $1.3 billion of ARENA funding.

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon. Photo
courtesy of Facebook.

Federal Member for
Newcastle Sharon Claydon.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.