Guest essay by Eric Worrall
What do you do if you need the votes of coal miners, but also need the votes of inner city climate activists? Try to please both, of course.
Qld government backs coal and gas industries while unveiling green hydrogen projects
Queensland will keep supporting fossil fuels despite green energy advocate Andrew Forrest acknowledging coal and gas are in decline.
Alex Druce
October 11, 2021 – 12:39PMQueensland has made its second major clean energy announcement in two days but remains tight-lipped on whether the state’s green credentials are being undermined by its support for fossil fuel extraction, including the coal and gas industries.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday again stood with iron ore magnate turned green energy philanthropist Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest to announce a partnership between his Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and ASX-listed fertiliser firm Incitec Pivot.
The two companies will team up to assess whether it is possible to convert Incitec’s ammonia production facility on Gibson Island near Brisbane into a hydrogen-powered operation.
FFI also plans to construct an on-site electrolysis plant to produce 50,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year for conversion into green ammonia.
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But despite talking up Queensland’s “industrial green revolution”, the state government remains staunch in its support of coal and gas.
Ms Palaszczuk’s government famously struck a deal with Indian miner Adani for royalties from its controversial $2bn Carmichael mine just days before last year’s October election win.
And she again reiterated her support for fossil fuels on Monday, even after Dr Forrest declared the sector was “in decline”.
“In Queensland, we support the people who work in the coal industry,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
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Read more: https://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/news/qld-government-backs-coal-and-gas-industries-while-unveiling-green-hydrogen-projects/news-story/a2e5ad14f341c11c5ace74d9009ca03a
Backing fossil fuels and renewables at the same time might seem schizophrenic, but it is actually less deranged than most of the plans on offer. Despite the wasted money on uneconomic green energy schemes, at least the coal power will keep flowing – which is more than you can say about most places run by green zealots.
All you can do is hope she keeps coal on the front burner and mostly pays lip service to windmills and solar panels. If she can keep this juggling act going for a few years it might be enough to see the Green stupidity collapse as sanity is restored to the world.
It looks like Mexico is going with only coal in state run power plants.
Mexico presents plan to shutter private power plants – ABC News (go.com)
Will it even get a mention at COP26?
Green hydrogen depends on massive amounts of wind and solar power. Fortunately RE is so very cheap, and getting cheaper. But wait, what happens when it has to pay the full price of firming instead of getting a free ride on the back of the dwindling supply of conventional power? Check the numbers! https://newcatallaxy.blog/2021/09/25/the-real-cost-of-unreliable-energy/
Green hydrogen is hydrogen made from solar PV electricity and the electrolysis of water, it’s about a 4% efficiency, mostly due to heat generated by the electrolysis. It is a hugely inefficient use of massive solar PV farms that themselves are anything but green in their manufacture in China. Green hydrogen is just a fanciful PR distraction.
Brown hydrogen is hydrogen made from coal gassification. This is an efficient way to make hydrogen, but the copious CO2 produced has to undergo CCS in order to do anything in regards to emissions. The Greentards are well on record as firmly hating all CCS schemes as they allow more fossil fuels to be mined, produced and burned. Just another way to keep the coal mines cranked up. Which is a good thing.
Attached is an image of how brown hydrogen will be created in Australia and shipped to Japan in the next few years as this trial proceeds. It’s all virtue signaling PR smokescreens, whilst the real effort at shipping vast quantities of coal and natural gas (as LNG) to Asia proceeds at accelerating levels. Which in that way is a good thing.
#FJB.
They will need coal fired electricity to process the needed volume of hydrogen required for widespread use. And then you got all the pipelines to put in to every structure, need coal fired electricity to make all the pipe and other materials/parts. Ramp up coal fired electricity generation, hydrogen will peter out as it most likely will in the hands of a bunch of leftist idiots and everyone switches back to natural gas and there is plenty of electricity for industry and agriculture and every other thing that humans love to do with electricity. A sound plan as far as I can see!
Twiggy must chuckle quietly while he reflects on how easy it was for him to deflect the greenies from haranguing and disrupting his massive iron ore mining operations, as they consume tons of diesel fuel 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
Can you imagine how much diesel it took Twiggy’s monster mine trucks to run just this one operation at his Solomon hub –
See, Twiggy isn’t in coal or gas, so why shouldn’t he occupy the vandals (greenies) with attacking his fellow miners in fights he doesn’t have a dog in?
Old joke about ‘on the one hand, but on the other hand’. So two lawyers can give 4 opinions per client. Economists are better since can give three each, because they can throw in a ceterus paribus qualifier.
When I was a very senior rainmaking corporate BCG consultant, we were allowed just one fact based opinion. Feedback was usually fairly immediate. CEO and Board agreed, we maybe got hired again. They didn’t, it was adios (with no Amigo).
One of the more rational of Palachook’s decisions. Green hydrogen (hydrogen made from solar PV electricity using electrolysis of water) is about 4% efficient. When the hydrogen proves too costly or dangerous, Queensland can fall back on Old King Coal.
The locality of Aldoga near Gladstone chosen by Twiggy is not noted for wind according to map posted on www.
Renewable Energy Atlas of Australia — Mean Wind Speed at 80m above ground level
I cant find the Atlas online now but my files have the above map on a 1 page pdf dated 2008.
If anybody finds a link to something more modern please post. Here is ABC news from Sunday
New $1 billion-plus project in Queensland to double world’s green hydrogen production capacity 10Oct21
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-10/qld-palaszczuk-andrew-forrest-hydrogen-gladstone/100527670
Quote – Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) will build the world’s largest green energy hydrogen manufacturing facility in Central Queensland, mining billionaire and company founder Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest says. The first step in the project — a $115 million manufacturing facility set to be built in Aldoga, west of Gladstone — is expected to double the world’s green hydrogen production capacity
If the pipe distribution network is anything like the pipe network for water here in Sydney it won’t hold any hydrogen for long.
The next Queensland state election is in 2024.
The assured “industrial green revolution” is based on the slogan: ‘don’t worry, sometime someone somewhere will invent something’.
The key is the verb “assess.”
Science, technology, and rational processes, first. One step… forward.
Macron says “en même temps“: all at the same time.
Like backing 3 horses in the same race, when one has an outstanding record as a stayer, one is a comparative newcomer with recent good form, and the third is an untrained young horse with no track success. Who should we back, I wonder?
looking for PRn votes
shes NOT popular or very bright
the H2 setups will be millions to billions and fall over
on her would be my personal pref
“Green hydrogen” is an oxymoron.
Doing whatever it takes to appease the irrational environMentalists whilst keeping heat in the house this winter, I guess.
But Qld also has a declared policy of 50% renewable electricity by 2030.
Current mix 73% coal, 9% gas.