Tasmania

Australia’s first Micro-LNG plant is being constructed at Westbury in Tasmania.

The plant will be operated by BOC – a member of the Linde Group – a world leader in the production of Liquefied Natural Gas used for transport.

The Micro LNG production technology will provide an alternative fuel to diesel for heavy vehicles. The fuel will release up to 20% fewer greenhouses gases.

The first sod has been turned at the site and the plant is expected to be fully operational by July 2010. It will have the capacity to produce 50 tonnes a day of LNG, which is the equivalent of 70,000 litres of conventional diesel.

The Hobart City Council has rejected a proposal to erect four wind turbines on a bank building in the centre of the city – a decision described as disappointing by the Tasmanian Government.

A Hobart developer, Robert Rockefeller, had planned to put the 11-metre high turbines of the ANZ Building in Elizabeth Street Hobart. It was estimated the turbines would cut the power bill for the building by 10%.

The council voted seven to four against the proposal on the grounds the turbines would detract from the city’s skyline and impact on its heritage values.

Tasmania’s Minister Assisting the Premier on Climate Change, Lisa Singh, says the turbines could have given central Hobart a leadership role in dealing with climate change.

Ms Singh says the council’s decision is disappointing because it is a lost opportunity for Hobart. She says as more building owners take steps to deal with climate change, councils will need a clear approach to renewable energy initiatives.

Ms Singh says options for renewable energy, like wind turbines on city buildings, should be further explored and she has asked Tasmania’s Climate Change Office to provide advice on how such proposals can be better managed in the future.

An industrial chemical has been detected at some bore sites during testing of Tasmania’s groundwater.

Sampling of the groundwater monitoring network, some 60 bores, found several pesticides and the industrial chemical Bisphenol-A; all at levels below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

The chemical is widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, and the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment says its detection is surprising.

The department says that is because the bore sample sites are not near highly industrialised zones or near waste disposal sites where such detections might be more likely. The department will further examine the source of the contamination.

It says the detection of the pesticides and the chemical in the groundwater serves as a reminder that chemical users must take measures to ensure the risks of off-site movement are minimised.

Hobart will be the base of a new research vessel capable of handling all of Australia’s tropical, temperate and sub-polar marine environments.

The Federal Government has allocated $120 million for the ship, which is in the early stages of planning. It is likely to be 85 metres long, weigh 3,000 tonnes and be capable of staying at sea for up to 55 days at a time.

The ship will accommodate up to 45 scientists, allowing for much more cross-disciplinary work. There will be facilities on board for oceanography, marine biology, meteorology, climatology and marine geoscience.

The vessel’s voyage range will be 10,000 nautical miles, enabling it to investigate the Indian, Pacific and Southern oceans, including sub-Antarctic conditions.

Federal Innovation Minister, Kim Carr, says like space, the world’s oceans are still a fascinating mystery. Senator Carr says the new vessel will give marine scientists access to the world-leading facilities they need to unlock the hidden frontier of marine science.