Recent Media Releases
26 April 2002
Wentworth Shire Council
Media release
Date: Friday, 26 April, 2002
EnviroMission commits to Tapio site
CONSTRUCTION of the world’s largest solar-powered electric generating
plant could begin on Tapio Station as soon as January 2003.
EnviroMission, the company seeking to undertake the mammoth project,
yesterday committed to Tapio Station as it’s preferred Australian
site.
Sprawling Tapio is one of the Shire’s larger grazing holdings and
best known for hosting an annual charity rodeo.
EnviroMission owns the exclusive Australian licence to the revolutionary
German technology that can generate 200MW of clean, green renewable energy
for about 200,000 households from a single, ‘Solar Tower’ power
station.
More than $US37 million has already been invested to prove the viability
of ‘Solar Tower’ technology through research and development,
pilot plant operations and feasibility studies for commercial plant construction.
A delegation from the company was in Wentworth today to speak with Mayor,
Cr Don McKinnon’s Solar Tower task force and bring it up-to-date
with latest developments.
The EnviroMission delegation comprised company chief executive officer,
Roger Davey; General Manager Business Development, Richard Parker; and
Communications Manager, Kim Forte.
The newly formed task force invited EnviroMission to a meeting following
the company’s recent announcement that Tapio had become the company’s
preferred Sunraysia site for the groundbreaking project. Confirmation
of the site was a welcome surprise.
Following the briefing, Mayor, Cr Don McKinnon, described the scope of
the project as "mind blowing".
"This will be a project to rival the Snowy Mountain Scheme,"
he said.
"It is just the type of large, infrastructure project this country
needs to get enthused about.
"It will generate world-wide interest and give us something to be
proud of.
"We will extend every possible assistance to EnviroMission to ensure
it goes ahead in our municipality."
The figures for the project are impressive. The project cost, without
attendant infrastructure, is estimated at $700 million; the tower will
be one kilometre high – the tallest man-made structure on Earth and
incorporate 700,000 cubic metres of concrete; the accompanying ‘green
house’ will have a radius of 3.5 kilometres, cover about 10,000 hectares
and require 38 million square metres of covering.
The project is expected to generate 2700 jobs, many of them for local
laborers, during the 34-month construction phase and provide between 15
and 40 ongoing jobs.
EnviroMission said the project would also have many spin-off benefits,
not least will be tourism, both domestic and international.
The company revealed it already has ideas about maximising the potential
of the tower to generate tourist dollar income including a very fast lift
system to take daring visitors to the very top of the tower where a viewing
platform would be part of the final design.
There are also plans for viewing platforms at other heights for the less
daredevil types, Mr Parker said.
Other spin-offs and revenue generating ideas for the tower include sale
of tower ‘space and height’ to the telecommunications industry.
Preliminary talks have already been held with interested parties.
There is also capacity for agribusiness under the outer edges of ‘greenhouse’
and the potential sale of carbon credits because of the tower’s green
power generation fundamentals -- a distinct advantage over traditional
coal-powered power stations.
The Mayor promised the Shire would do everything in its power to assist
EnviroMission with the next phase of its push for the tower – stimulating
State and Federal Government interest and support while overcoming any
impediments.
EnviroMission said the its time line for approval and construction was
based on several fundamental hurdles being overcome including Native Title
(the site is now perpetual leasehold but part of the Barkindji land claim);
land use (the land zoning will have to be changed from rural to a suitable
alternative); the supply of water and other infrastructure to the site
including much-upgraded roads suitable for heavy traffic.
Mayor McKinnon said ‘will’ could well be the deciding factor
on the project’s future.
"If the people who can overcome the hurdles want the project to
succeed, it will go ahead," he said.
The Mayor admitted the project would take a lot of additional funding
for infrastructure like roads and a suitable water supply, but "these
are not things that cannot be dealt with quickly and efficiently if there
is the will".
"What we need to expedite the process is widespread co-operation
from grass roots community support through to the highest Government levels."
he said.
"This is a win-win situation for all involved. Not only does the
Wentworth Shire and ultimately the country get a new national icon, but
we also get clean, green power."
Ends…
© 2008 EnviroMission Ltd, ACN 094 963 238, Terms of Use