GOVERNMENT CLOSES DOOR ON NATIVE FOREST WOOD FIRED ENERGY
Conservationists have welcomed today's federal Government
announcement that native forest wood biomass would not be
reclassified as renewable energy.
Spokesperson for the Chipstop campaign, Harriett Swift says that the
announcement has closed the door on any native forest wood energy
projects for the foreseeable future.
"Without the subsidies that classification as renewable energy would
bring, the bio-energy is a dead duck," Ms Swift says.
The announcement from Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet was in
the Government's response to a Climate Change Authority report which
recommended that native forest wood biomass be included in the
Renewable Energy Target.
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/en/media/whats-new/~/media/publications/renewable-energy/governmentt-response-to-cca-review-pdf.pdf
Minister Combet's response said: "Wood waste from native forests
was removed from the RET as an eligible renewable energy source in
2011. This amendment was made to ensure that the RET did not provide
an incentive for the burning of native forest wood waste for
bio-energy, which could lead to unintended outcomes for biodiversity
and the destruction of intact carbon stores. The Government does not
consider that circumstances have changed sufficiently since 2011 to
warrant this issue being reconsidered. "
Ms Swift says that today's decision should ensure that the Eden
chipmill wood fired power station remains permanently shelved.
"In the past few months we have seen both the power station and the
pellet plant collapse."
"The industry has clung to the pipedream of an income stream from
bio-energy, which it hoped would drag it out of the mire of poor
woodchip prices and contracting woodchip markets."
"It is time for the woodchipping industry to face up to realities
and get out of native forest woodchipping altogether," she says.
21 March 2013