tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22751196.post-77268431384917511562008-07-24T11:01:00.001+10:002008-07-24T11:01:56.269+10:00Wind to power desalination plant<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mining Chronicle</span><br />June, 2008 Page: 88<br /><br />The New South Wales Government has agreed to a 20-year energy supply deal to ensure <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine" target="_blank">wind turbines</a> will power Sydney's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination" target="_blank">desalination</a> plant. Premier <a href="http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Prod/Parlment/Members.nsf/V3ListCurrentMembers" target="_blank">Morris Iemma</a> says the deal will link <a href="http://www.sydneywater.com.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Water</a> to the <a href="http://www.babcockbrown.com/" target="_blank">Babcock and Brown</a>-backed <a href="http://www.bbwindpartners.com/" target="_blank">Capital Wind Farm</a> being built at <a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?ll=-35.256083,149.44042&z=11&t=h&hl=en" target="_blank">Bungendore</a>, near <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-35.354443,149.23208&z=14&t=h&hl=en" target="_blank">Queanbeyan</a> in southern NSW.<br /><br />This will be Australia's biggest accredited renewable energy contract." The contract requires <a href="http://www.sydneywater.com.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Water</a> to purchase a minimum 180,000 <a href="http://www.orer.gov.au/" target="_blank">Renewable Energy Certificates</a> annually for 20 years. Each <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_Energy_Certificates" target="_blank">REC</a> represents one <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megawatts" target="_blank">megawatt</a> hour of green electricity, which will be used to power the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination" target="_blank">desalination</a> plant.<br /><br />When the state's dams are full and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination" target="_blank">desalination</a> plant is not in use, <a href="http://www.sydneywater.com.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Water</a> can on-sell its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_Energy_Certificates" target="_blank">RECs</a> for a possible profit. The electricity will be purchased at a set price, adjusted for CPI, over the 20 years. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination" target="_blank">desalination</a> plant is under construction at <a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?ll=-34.008487,151.20488&z=13&t=h&hl=en" target="_blank">Kurnell</a>, in Sydney's south, and is intended to supply up to 250 million litres of drinking water a year from the summer of 2009-2010.Blairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17332055963612570647noreply@blogger.com