Olympic Dam expansion hits emission hopes
THE AUSTRALIAN Gavin Lower | July 29, 2009
BHP Billiton’s proposed multi-billion-dollar expansion of its Olympic Dam mine will increase South Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 12 per cent, casting doubt on Mike Rann’s climate change credentials, environmentalists said yesterday.The Australian Conservation Foundation said BHP Billiton was seeking government approval to increase Olympic Dam’s greenhouse emissions by at least 4.1 million tonnes a year — the equivalent of more than a million inefficient cars on the road.The Premier, who is also South Australia’s Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, has pledged as part of the state’s strategic plan to meeting the Kyoto target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 108 per cent of 1990 levels by 2012.But the ACF says the Olympic Dam expansion, which would create the world’s largest open pit mine, 560km north of Adelaide, would cause a “blow out” to the state’s current emissions of 33 million tonnes a year……………………..
“How can Mr Rann maintain his image as a climate change leader when the state will continue its pollution for a decade?” Climate change program manager Tony Mohr said………………………
Mr Mohr said if BHP Billiton was allowed to increase its emissions to the levels it was seeking, the public’s confidence in reducing emissions and their own efforts to do so would be undone. He said the mine expansion would also be one of the single biggest impacts on Australia’s efforts to meet international emissions targets.
Olympic Dam expansion hits emission hopes | The Australian
