Flannery's Little Earner
o no b
November 9 2009
2007 -
We learn of a vested interest:
"High profile Geodynamics shareholder and Monash University geology
graduate, Tim Flannery, was named Australian of the Year on Thursday 25th
January, obviously in recognition of his support of geothermal energy. "
2007 -
We learn from Tim Flannery that geothermal power is the great green answer -
but we don't always hear Flannery declare, as he should have here, that he's
an investor with a vested interest:
"The social licence of coal to operate is rapidly being withdrawn globally.
We've seen it with asbestos. We'll see it with coal. There are hot rocks in
South Australia that potentially have enough embedded energy in them to run
Australia's economy for the best part of a century. They are not being fully
exploited yet but the technology to extract that energy and turn it into
electricity is relatively straightforward."
2009 -
We learn what Flannery means by "relatively straightforward" technology at
this Geodynamics Innamincka plant, but it takes ASX releases (no link) to
tell us:
"On April 24, shortly after applying for the Fed Govt grant, the
high-strength steel inside the Habanero 3 well broke allowing briny
"reservoir fluid" and steam to gush to the surface. ASX releases reveal the
4221m-deep well was only 2 months old. It was to supply the pilot plant, now
delayed. "
"Dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide in the "reservoir fluid"
caused the steel to become brittle. Two other wells were also damaged. Fluid
and steam continued to flow from the wells for at least 3 weeks before they
were plugged with cement. "
"All three wells are now on hold indefinitely and the pilot plant is delayed
by up to 9 months, according to ASX releases. The company is claiming it on
insurance."
November 2009 -
We learn that Geodynamics gets yet another big grant from the KRudd
Government, regardless, this one for $90 million for a demonstration plant.
Oh, and let's hear again from Flannery about wicked vested interests
distorting the global warming debate:
"the fossil fuel lobby became even more powerful, and it has been able to
corrupt processes within the federal bureaucracy and the soliciting of
scientific advice..."
And here's his complaint that the governments only listen to paid shills
when splashing out these green grants:
"It is interesting to look at the technologies that get a leg up from the
Government. First of all there was clean coal because there is a huge lobby
group pushing for that . . . But we've totally ignored the technologies that
really, I think, have a lot of potential to do the job very cost effectively
such as geothermal and solar thermal, and the reason for that is there there's
no special lobby group behind them."
We'll consider that problem now fixed, shall we, Mr Lobbyist?
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/flannerys_little_earner/
Warmest Regards
Bon z0
"It is a remarkable fact that despite the worldwide expenditure of perhaps
US$50 billion since 1990, and the efforts of tens of thousands of scientists
worldwide, no human climate signal has yet been detected that is distinct
from natural variation."
Bob Carter, Research Professor of Geology, James Cook University, Townsville