Cobbora Coal Mine

I strongly object to this proposed development, at a time when global warming means that we should use less fossil fuel, not more.

The Cobbora coal mine, if built, will cost taxpayers more than $3 billion, destroy nearly two thousand hectares of wildlife habitat, and provide half-priced coal to our state's polluting power stations for more than 20 years.

The justification for the mine is based on incorrect projections of demand for coal-fired electricity over the next 10 years. Demand for coal-fired power has dropped significantly since this project was first proposed, as part of the Keneally government's electricity privatisation deal.

Time for the NSW government to take a responsible lead in reducing our reliance on fossil fuel in favour of renewables.

Yours sincerely,

Peter O'Hara

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Please refer to my attached submission Objecting to the proposed 10_0001, Cobbora Coal Project

After a brief look at the CHC website and fact sheet, along with some more information from other websites and white papers, it can be easily concluded that there is not transparent and equitable basis for such a development:

State investing in Coal is do deliver coal at cheaper-than-market prices is a "de facto" equivalent to a direct subsidy to Coal Power Plants. The current debate in the Energy industry is that we should forge on with Coal, because other forms of energy are not cost-competitive with Coal. However, recent findings in the Federal whit paper (file attachment 1, p91), as well as EIA articles regarding the levelised cost of energy by source (http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/electricity_generation.cfm) demonstrate that Wind and Solar PV are already cost-competitive with Coal without Carbon Capture. When the state of NSW decides to invest in a coal mine in order to lower the levelised cost of coal, it is in effect distorting the market to support inefficient and expensive energy. It is making a loss in providing cheaper than market coal, which is then supported by the tax-payers.

As has been extensively studied, the best way to lower the cost of electricity is to work within a well regulated Energy Market, in which the cheapest energy source is able to sell their power at a lower cost. By providing subsidized to private coal-fired generators, the State of NSW is taking on a practice that is contrary to most efficient market-based mechanisms to obtain power at cheapest price.

State should not target preferential energy generation type without a clear basis why this choice is better than the competing. If the rationale is that jobs are provided and therefore the country is better off, why not sell the coal on the market and use that profit for something else, thus providing more sustainable jobs, rather than putting together a venture which may well not be financially sustainable in the future.

Leaving aside the discussion of Anthropomorphic Climate Change, it has been well established that electricity Generated by Coal has the greatest cost on Healthcare system of all energy generation types. The Department of the Environment and Water Affairs of South Africa has done a study (File Attachment 2) which demonstrates that the external costs of coal-fired electricity generation is at least 5 times more than the costs from Wind, CSP and Hydro. This in itself places another layer of cost on the taxpayer, which are supporting the National Health System through their own taxes.
Adding to this negative effect, is the death impact of Coal-fired power when compared to other sources of electricity. In a Forbes article (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2012/06/10/energys-deathprint-a-price-always-paid/) Coal has a death toll of 170,000 deaths per Trillion kWh generated, versus 440 for rooftop solar, 150 for wind power, and 1,400 for Hydro. Based on these number, why would the State of NSW support a form of energy which causes such a high mortality rate in human beings?

This Project is also completely Contrary to Federal Goal of reducing emissions.
The Federal Government has set out the ETS as a market-based mechanism (through the current Carbon Tax, and the future Carbon Market) in order to reduce emissions through the cheapest possible way. As explained above, this subsidy to coal puts those Coal-Fired generators at an artificial price advantage when compared to other forms of energy.
As is well known, one of the main difficulties on utility-scale projects progressing is the current difficulty to obtain PPA's. If Solar and Wind are forced to compete against subsidized coal, this problem will only become worst, and this is completely contrary to any logic of lowering pollution, lowering GHG emissions, and providing electricity at the cheapest possible price.

On the basis of the arguments above, this project should be scraped from the NSW Government's books in a first instance, and from the DPI's assessment due to the large impacts it will have on human health and mortality.

Submission attached.

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Submission attached.

See attached submission.

See attached submission.

Dear Sir,


Please find attached my objection to the development of Cobbora Coal Mine.
This government clearly either doesn't understand the science of climate change, or can't see past the very short term economics of the coal industry, or both. Instead of propping up the coal and gas industries, NSW could be moving to 21st century renewables technologies. I think that the public would be very willing to buy lottery tickets, bonds or other financial instruments if they were assured that a large scale solar plant would be built in NSW. Coal is unhealthy, destructive and leaves a long-lasting blot on our landscape for a very short term gain. We don't need coal. Coal is a on its way out, both here and overseas, and the government should be planning for a rapid move away from it.

Please consider my submission.

Yours sincerely
Janet

Hi
A signed letter setting out my objections to the Cobbora Coal Project is attached.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment - I am happy to discuss this further if you wish.

Please find attached a submission from The Coastwatchers Association Inc on the Cobbora Mine proposal
Jenny Edwards
Secretary

Submission attached.

I attach the following file:
Cobbora Coal Project Submission by Murray Scott.doc

By the way..
Having tried four times so far to satisfy your security code device, may I suggest you replace it with one more serviceable.

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