Bouquets and briquettes

What's happening with the $25 000 000 briquette factory at Mataura?
Driving past, I see no signs of industry at all.
I have to give credit though, where it's due. The native tree roadside plantings Solid Energy did in order to screen the proposed open cast lignite mines from the travelling public, are doing really well and look great!

Milk in the river

Similar situation, China

Milk is regarded, quite rightly, as an environmental pollutant and milk spills  attract pollution response teams quickly. This morning's Fonterra milk tanker crash has resulted in most, if not all, of the contents of the tanker entering the Mataura river. That's a lot of milk, between 12, 000 and 15, 000 litres.  The response team, in this instance the Fire Brigade, were unable to contain the milk, which traveled by drain, straight to the river. We are informed that the state of the Mataura river, it's been in flood, is a good thing, in that it will have diluted the milk and reduced its impact on the environment.
It will be very interesting to see how prominently this truck crash and milk spill feature in Monday's Southland Times given Fonterra's expressed desire to be 'loved' by the public.

Northern Southland

Mataura hill

Self portrait with bird crap

Tree for Shunda

Pipe

Woolshed tally board

Briquettes uneconomic

That's the way the Southland Times letters editor titled John Fogarty's contribution to the discussion to the lignite debate in today's paper. John says casts doubt over the viability and worth of the briquettes that Solid Energy plan to make from the low-grade brown 'coal' that lies under the rich Mataura farmland, destined to be scraped off in favour of a giant open cast mine.
John says:

"Southland should not get too excited about the lignite briquetting plant.
  In 1987, a similar plant was built by State Coal at Mercer, south of Auckland.
  Our company designed and built the coal-fired drying furnace.
  Unfortunately, selling briquettes did not prove to be an economic reality. The more acceptable solution now would be wood-based fuels being promoted by Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.
  Check out the authority's website for biofuels research and reports.
  Two of the boilers detailed in these reports were designed and built by our company in Invercargill, partly funded by the authority."

JOHN FOGARTY
Invercargill

Jan's in Southland - all's Wright with the world

This morning I met the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright and had a wee chat with her, before she began her adress to the combined councils of Southland. I have long admired her work, especially her findings and conclusions around lignite mining. Today, my admiration for her grew, both from what I heard from her in our little tete a tete, and from the presentation she gave to the assembled be-suited councillors.
Her message on lignite? It's the very worst of the fuels and presents too many problems with it's production. Jan was very clear that she doesn't find credible, Solid Energy's (Don Elder's) assurances that they will sequester the CO2 produced beneath Southland's green pastures, or under the seabed of the Great South basin, or that they will off-set the huge volumes of gas produced, by planting trees. She managed the climate-denier from the Gore council, he's the Deputy Chair I believe, well, by presenting the reasons for her firm belief that climate change is real, and comforted him by saying, 'I commend you for taking an interest', but that's as much as she was prepared to concede. Southland's Mayor Frana Cardno spoke powerfully about her concerns around lignite, saying that buried lignite was, 'money in the bank' and that that is where it should stay for the meantime. Jan described the extraction and use of lignite as a fuel as, 'truly unsustainable', and gave it no quarter. Those in attendance must have been struck by her clarity of purpose and depth of knowledge of the lignite issue.
I've not had a chance to hear what their reactions are but will be asking around for their opinions later.
She, incidentally, described the situation with the Waituna Lagoon, as 'truly alarming'.

Bless those briquettes

I arrived a little late to the blessing of the Solid Energy briquette plant at Mataura, which in itself was a blessing because I didn't have to wear one of the stupid hi-vis vests like the ones the other guests, including all of the rangatahi were wearing. Even Bill English had one stretched over his MP suit. Roly had mis-timed our entrance, so we slunk in at the back of the marquee and watched the proceedings in relative anonymity. We thought.
The kapahaka group belted out a mighty haka and the wero was laid down by a fearsome lad wielding a taiaha that seemed to hypnotise Bill so much that someone from the crowd had to yell out 'Pick it up!'.
A karakia was intoned over a white china bowl of briquettes.

A sod was turned (I'm resisting a very strong temptation here!)

There were plenty of media, suitably attired for the dangerous environment of gravel and grass.

My best shot, photographically speaking, was of two 'coats' left lying on a table while the speechifying went on: a Solid Energy vest and a korowai from the Hokonui Runaka. Poignant much?

After the hole was dug, and as I stood in the sunniest, warmest spot out of the keen wind that blew in from the southwest, Bill Luff, Group Manager External Affairs came and introduced himself and we had a very convivial talk about issues of Christchurch and Solid Energy respectively. Don Elder joined us (he has a Hone Hariwira handshake, warm and prolonged, in case that sort of detail interests you) and made a good job of allaying my concerns about some things. Not all by any means, but we only had 20 minutes until the show was closed and I had to leave for Invers.

On briquettes

Rex, a commentator at Red Alert had this to say about factories that turn coal into briquettes:

"If you want to know what happens when coals is used to make briquettes go to the old Carbo site at Rotowaro. This factory left a very serious legacy of environmental destruction which the Waikato Regional Council [Environment Waikato] has had to spend a lot of money to clean up."

His comment, which should interest Southlanders thinking about Solid Energy's briquetting plant, now under way near Mataura, follows this post by Charles Chauvel, that describes Labour's approach to the lignite mining issue facing us down here at the moment. I've cut'n'pasted the whole thing believing that Charles'd not mind.

Mining lignite doesn’t make the cut

Posted by Charles Chauvel on July 22nd, 2011 New Zealand has extensive lignite deposits in Southland and Otago. Some think that we should be using this “mineral wealth” for economic good. For example, Solid Energy, a state owned enterprise, want to mine Lignite in Southland. They’ve proposed converting the former Mataura mine site into a $25 million briquetting plant. This would make about 90,000 tonnes of briquettes a year from 150,000 tonnes of lignite.
I’m opposed to this proposal because, from an environmental perspective, it just doesn’t make sense. Dr Jan Wright, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment is correct, when she observes that “the plans to increase lignite use are extremely concerning as they would produce huge quantities of carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change”.
We won’t be arbitrarily prohibiting such mining operations simply because we don’t happen to like them. We will apply an appropriately calibrated Emissions Trading Scheme to them. Under any such scheme, its highly unlikely that the Southland proposal by Solid Energy would make the cut.
Lignite mining and conversion would only be likely to be viable under a properly calibrated ETS if forests of new trees were planted to off-set the increased emissions, and currently experimental carbon capture and storage technology were deployed commercially.
Unfortunately, we have a government that believes that the environment should be sacrificed for economic growth. John Key is on the record as saying, “At the moment companies like Solid Energy are growth companies and we want them to expand in areas like lignite conversion”. What he needs to realise is that for New Zealand, economic and environmental well-being are intertwined, not two separate, competing considerations.

Councillor holds own meeting

Councillor holds own meeting on miner's plant

An Environment Southland councillor says it would be futile to sit on the committee hearing the case for a briquetting plant at Eastern Southland, and will hold his own public meeting instead.
  Robert Guyton, a member of the council's resource consent hearing committee, said yesterday he would hold an informal meeting to gauge public opinion on Solid Energy's plans to build a $25 million briquetting plant near Mataura, as legislation meant he would be unable to "ask the questions I feel are most important" at tomorrow's hearing.
  A clause in the Resource Management (Energy and Climate Change) Amendment Bill meant councils could not consider climate change and the impact of greenhouse gases when granting consent applications, so the public was unable to question the potential environmental impact of lignite mining at tomorrow's hearing, he said.
  Rules that meant regional councils had to look at conset applications on a case-by-case basis was flawed - as shown recently at the waituna Lagoon, he said.
  "It's death by a thousand cuts" and I'm not happy to sit and allow that to occur." Mr Guyton said.
  That clause made him wonder how much sway industry had on the country's policy-making, and what direction the National-led Government was heading, he said.
  Last month the Gore District Council approved a resource consent application from the Government-owned energy company, and Prime Minister John Key has backed plans to mine Southland's lignite.
  Tomorrow's Environment Southland hearing is for water and discharge permits.
  Mr Guyton said he believed the committee would approve the application, but it was important councillors heard a range of viewpoints and were not close-minded.
"[At meetings organised by stakeholders] I've found they can't really have a say too easily. They're more there to be told, to have the case presented to them, rather than back-and-forth sharing of information," Mr Guyton said.
  He wanted to hear from those in support of mining plans just as much as he wanted to speak with others in opposition, and planned to present the findings of tomorrow's discussion when Environment Southland attended a presentation by Solid Energy later this month, he said.
  Environment Southland chief executive Ciaran Keogh yesterday declined to comment on whether he believed Mr Guyton should be attending the consents hearing, rather than holding his own meeting.
  "It's actually a substantial political argument, and it's not up to me to be involved in that realm," he said.
  However, Mr Guyton and other committee members were under no obligation to attend every single hearing, and what each councillor chose to do as a private individual was their business, he said.
  Mr Guyton will hold his meeting at the Invercargill Public Library from 1:30pm to 3:00pm tomorrow. The resource consent hearing will begin at 1:30pm at Environment Southland.

 alana.dixon@stl.co.nz

The other lignite meeting

I'm spending some time at the library - the Invercargill Public Library and I won't be alone (I hope!)

Rather than sit through the Solid Energy consent application being held at Environment Southland at the same time where I doubt I'll be able to raise the concerns I have, I've opted for a meeting of my own - an informal 'meet your councillor' event in the city, where I hope concerned citizens (and rural Southlanders) will come and talk with me about what they feel about the proposed lignite mining by Solid Energy. I've no intention to lecture - I'm not learned when it comes to the issue but I'm willing to listen to those who will be most affected by the mining. The Southland Times have shown a lot of interest in the 'alternative' meeting and sent their journalist and photographer out for a chat and a shot. Tomorrow's rag will, with any luck, carry the story. If they do, I'll post it here.

Highs and lows

I'd wondered if the the recent publicity for this blog through the Southland Times and Southland Express might have had an effect of readership - I imagined it might have a beneficial effect but there was no way of knowing whether it would boost or kill off my readership, so I took a look behind the scenes at the 'stats' facility that Blogger provides for its bloggers and found that it's climbing strongly. That's very pleasing and I know what to do if at some stage it begins to dip - wind up my fellow councillors to such an extent that they throw me into the spotlight again! It won't be difficult - they're getting very tetchy about my expressed interest in Solid Energy's plans for mining Mataura, even though I assure them, quite genuinely, that our role as councillors is to unearth (sorry for the pun) all of the facts from all sides of the argument, before making any decisions. Hasn't placated some of them though and they continue to simmer :-)

Kickin' Nick

Best stop-him-in-his-tracks question at tonight's 'Meet Mr Smith Meet' went to the lovely lady from Lumsden, who asked the Minister (who had just described how important the Government felt it was to follow Best Practice with all mining and drilling projects in NZ, based on overseas models),

"Minister, can you tell us, where is the world's best practice example of lignite mining?"

A stunned and awkward silence enveloped the Minister before he claimed that he 'wasn't willing to say'.

The complimentary bag of dirty ol' lignite goes to Chris Henderson for both the quality of the question, and the timing!

Shooting down the Nats

"This is a Government who are allowing Solid Energy to build a lignite production facility in Bill English's electorate to power his Brother's Federated Farmer's industry cheaply."

Ah Tumeke!
You've done it again!

Kiwi of the Year

What does New Zealander of the Year Sir Paul Callaghan, have to say about the country that bestowed the honourific upon him?
Amongst other things, he says New Zealand had reached its limit on how it can exploit its natural resources.
"Mining our national parks may get us a few billion [dollars] but it's paltry in comparison to the damage to the brand it will do."

Coal action!

This is what the Coal Action Network has to say about the report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's report (just released) on lignite.

Lignite Costs The Earth


MEDIA RELEASE
Coal Action Network
Thursday 9th December 2010


The Coal Action Network today praised the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) for exposing the high environmental cost of Solid Energy’s plans to exploit South Island lignite reserves in her new report ‘Lignite and climate change: The high cost of low grade coal.’
“For too long, Solid Energy has used greenwash, contradictory statements and snazzy promotional videos to obscure the reality of what they are planning to do in Southland,” said Coal Action Network spokesperson
Frances Mountier. “In her report, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has clearly shown how digging up and using South Island lignite would incur a prohibitively high environmental cost.”

“The reality is stark,” continued Ms Mountier. “Solid Energy has managed to lay its paws on 1.5 billion tonnes of lignite reserves. The PCE’s report states that there are over 6 billion tonnes of economically recoverable lignite deposits in Southland and Otago.[i] If Solid Energy, L&M and the other companies exploit all 6 billion tonnes, they will be responsible for releasing 8.89 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere.”[ii]
“It’s not true that New Zealand is too small to make a difference on climate change. We can let these companies go ahead with their plans, and bring the world closer to the tipping point of runaway climate change, or we can stop them in their tracks, and make a major contribution to the stability of the world’s climate.
“We need to keep the coal in the hole,” Ms Mountier concluded. “We need to send the message that the mining companies must abandon their plans to mine and burn Southland lignite.”

Urea from wood?

"There is a pretty wide agreement that if we don't reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, we are all going to hell in a hand basket. Some people believe that we have already gone too far and no matter what we do, it is too late."

Willian Huges-Games at Thoughts on the Roof. describes his thoughts on lignite, urea and ...wood waste!

His ideas are well worth exploring. He says,

"It has been proposed by our New Zealand Solid Energy that they turn their lignite deposits into urea for the farmers. At present we import much of our urea so this would help our balance of payment, provide jobs and enrich holders of shares in Solid Energy (MP's???). So far so good. However, it would become our largest emitter of Carbon Dioxide in the country, even surpassing our large coal fired power station at Huntly."

And asks, then answers this question,

"Is there another way. Well, yes there is. You can make urea from almost any carbon based substance from methane to pure carbon. You can also produce urea from wood wastes."

If you've an interest in the proposals to mine and convert the lignite that lies below the farmland near Mataura, read this guy.

More on coal

Treesoftommorow has this to say over in Frogblog's pond -


"Jeanette Fitzsimons has announced a six-point plan to effectively shut down NZ’s coal industry, which includes converting Solid Energy into a renewable energy company and closing the Huntly Power Station.

She suggested a change in direction for SOE Solid Energy too:

Fitzsimons believes Solid Energy should cease investigations into converting Southland lignite to liquid fuels and instead focus on becoming a renewable energy company, building especially on its expertise in waste wood. She notes Solid Energy has recently invested in a wood pellet and wood stove business, as well as a solar water heating business, and is also producing bio-diesel from rape seed.
 
And here's the article he cites:
 
Greens Want To Close Down NZ’s Coal Industry


April 30th, 2008

The Green Party has outlined a radical policy that includes a ban on new coal mines, with a view to phasing out coal production in NZ apart from a small amount for specialist non-energy uses. Co-Leader Jeanette Fitzsimons has announced a six-point plan to effectively shut down NZ’s coal industry, which includes converting Solid Energy into a renewable energy company and closing the Huntly Power Station. Thankfully for Labour and National, Fitzsimons says the Greens won’t make the coal mining policy a bottom-line issue in any post-election coalition talks. But she has accused both parties of “greenwash and spin” over coal, noting the Govt has banned new coal-fired power stations in NZ but is happy to export coal to be burned overseas. Fitzsimons argues there is sufficient coal in existing mines, which the Greens are not proposing should shut down, to keep market contracts supplied and the workforce employed. But she believes a Govt that aims to be carbon neutral can’t allow its own State Owned Enterprise to carry on expanding coal production, either for domestic consumption or for export.

The only exemptions would be for specialty coals in small quantities for uses such as carbon fibre and activated carbon, and for enough local coal of a sufficient quality to keep NZ Steel supplied. The Greens will also try amending the Emissions Trading Bill to include coal seam methane in the climate change obligations of coal mining companies. Fitzsimons also dismisses the idea of “clean coal” as “a highly misleading slogan” of the coal industry. While carbon capture and burial may be possible one day, she sees this as “a hugely expensive red herring” which is diverting funds away from renewable energy research.

Fitzsimons believes Solid Energy should cease investigations into converting Southland lignite to liquid fuels and instead focus on becoming a renewable energy company, building especially on its expertise in waste wood. She notes Solid Energy has recently invested in a wood pellet and wood stove business, as well as a solar water heating business, and is also producing bio-diesel from rape seed. About 5m t of coal is mined each year in NZ, most of it by Solid Energy. Almost three-quarters is high-quality coking coal, which goes to Japan, India and other countries for steel making. Huntly burns 44% of NZ’s coal. About half is imported from Indonesia and the rest comes from the Waikato coal fields. NZ Steel uses about 31% of domestic coal, and Fonterra uses it at several dairy factories to dry milk, as well as other big industries such as cement and aluminium.

Mixed signals from Gore's mayor

Today's Southland Times reports that mayor Tracy Hicks has made some good decisions over potential conflicts of interest in his new council and has signalled that some councillors who have close connections with the proposed lignite developments at Mataura, should not sit on committees involved in those issues.
Good thinking Tracy.
He says that the planning and regulatory committees in particular are not suitable places for such individuals to sit.
"Cr Watt is director of farmer cooperative Ravensdown, which is a joint venture partner with Solid Energy in its lignite to urea.." seems some good judgement there Tracy, however..."Cr Bolger is one of the few landowners in the Mataura lignite field who has not sold to Solid Energy." ... which is, I suppose, reasonable enough.
The mighty clanger for me though, comes where Cr Bret Highstead, about whom I've written before, has been elected to the chair of the planning and regulatory committee!
Cr Bret Highstead's 'family involvement in the coal industry' (they sold their coal mine at New Vale to Solid Energy!) seems not to be seen as a factor that might affect his performance on that 'sensitive' committee!

I must be missing something here.

Someone might like to clarify for me what it is Tracy is doing.

Pundit - Leave it in the ground

"James Hansen, renowned NASA climate scientist, says we should cut off access to coal at source, because it is “the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet”. Tim Flannery, who visited NZ recently, has said the same: “There is so much carbon buried in theworld’s coal seams [alone] that, should it find its way back to thesurface, it would make the planet hostile to life as we know it.”

Climate carbon negotiations: a black hole, and a new idea

by Claire Browning

Coal Giant Fails to Ignite

This is very odd.

Today's Southland Times reports that Solid Energy's 'deal' with Australian company Ignite has failed.

'Lignite deal gets canned' the headline ran.

At the recent Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Gore, lignite conversion manager Greg Visser hailed trials of New Vale lignite at Ignite's New South Wales pilot plant a success and described, with graphs and statistics, how vastly superior, in terms of environmental effects, the Ignite system was to any other.

Now it seems, they'll have to revert to 'something else'. Wonder what that will be!
This looks to be a major blow to the project.
Greg will be spitting. Everything had been going spiffingly til now.
However, they've not thrown in the towel just yet. The article finishes:

"Solid Energy has not completely turned its back on the technology and would undertake a further stage of work to investigate its potential for the conversion of low energy lignite into synthetic crude oils that can be upgraded to transport fuel."

Don't give up just yet Transport Companies of Gore!

* Update: Sonia Gerkin writes:

"One of the beauties of the new technology(ed. offered by Ignite, now stalled/lost) over the mega-expensive proven Fisher-Tropp process of converting lignite to liquid, is that a plant can be developed in modular trains. This will avoid the big bang effect where everything happens at once, as well as being more cost effective."
They will be fuming (pun intended).

Babble ahead