The Australian - Wesfarmers says coal prices to fall sharply this year

WESFARMERS said contract prices for metallurgical coal exports from its Curragh mine were expected to fall 59 per cent this year.

Larvatus Prodeo - Otway CO2 sequestration trial “working”

The Age has a story about Australia’s first carbon sequestration trial, about half way between Warrnambool and Port Campbell on Victoria’s south-west coast. The trial is apparently working well, with 50,000 tonnes of CO2 stored without significant incident. This earlier newsletter expands on that definition a little - essentially, the CO2 is moving through the depleted natural gas well as predicted in their computer modeling.

That’s great. Well done. When will they be able to scale this up to that required to cope with the 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 emitted from Hazelwood power station every month?

The Age - Urban sprawl is killing us, but there's another way.

S THE days grow cooler, many of us are breathing a sigh of relief that the past summer has finally come to an end. As well as the unprecedented and tragic bushfire season, severe summer conditions induced a string of urban disasters that, due to poor planning, were waiting to happen: public transport failures, traffic nightmares and water shortages.

In response, the State Government is proposing quick fixes that involve new roads, longer freeways, rail tunnels and a desalination plant, solutions that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Yet in the face of unbounded urban sprawl, such answers are short-term and ultimately unsustainable. If the urban juggernaut of Melbourne continues to roll, expanding at its current rate of 1.65 per cent (or 63,000 people) per year, further road and public transport overhauls, as well as additional desalination plants, are likely to be on the agenda within another 15 years.

The Age - 'Hot rocks' projects get $14m boost

Two projects aimed at tapping the vast energy of "hot rocks" have received $7 million apiece in federal government funding. The projects will drill wells deep below the earth's surface in search of geothermal energy, which can be used to heat water and produce low-emission electricity.

Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said geothermal energy had extraordinary potential and could provide baseload power. The company MNGI will drill at Paralana in South Australia's northern Flinders ranges. And Panax Geothermal will drill on the Limestone Coast on South Australia's east coast.

SMH - A sustainable Sydney needs bikes and trams

Around the world, smart cities are remaking themselves. They are investing in sustainable public transport and creating pedestrian-friendly environments, reducing their greenhouse emissions, cleaning the air, and providing places for people to meet and congregate. Professor Peter Newman, one of Australia's most eminent urban thinkers, said at a recent CityTalk that traffic congestion and rising petrol costs make creating more space in cities for pedestrians an economic necessity.

If the City of Sydney Council had its way, an integrated transport plan would properly mesh light and heavy rail with ferries and buses, and do much more for pedestrians and cyclists. Improving transport, streets and the public realm is not simply about aesthetics or congeniality, nor is it driven solely by the economic costs of congestion or the health costs of respiratory diseases. Those matter, but above all, it is about creating a more sustainable future for our city, which helps our state, our nation, and, ultimately, our planet. The financial crisis has grabbed headlines from climate change, but the two are interlinked.

The Australian - Kimberley LNG deal a goer

A MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR liquefied natural gas plant is set to be developed in Western Australia's northwest after a landmark deal between Aborigines, government and business.

Kimberley Aborigines gave in-principle approval yesterday for the gas precinct to be developed on land at James Price Point, 60km north of Broome, in return for compensation worth more than $1 billion over 30 years.

TreeHugger - Smart Grid Tech Taking Hold in Australia

mart grid technology is expanding in Australia and quite a few companies are finding a place for themselves within a government-mandated Advanced Metering Infrastructure program. Most recently, IBM and Silver Spring Networks have found themselves at home helping Australia update its electrical grid.

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