EnviroMission Limited

Recent Media Releases

19 September 2001

A power station that will Tower over man.

Embargoed until 3:00 am Thursday, 20 September

Australian green energy company EnviroMission plans to build a solar thermal power station with a mind blowing 1000-metre-high Tower and a 5-kilometre diameter greenhouse collector. It will be the world's tallest built structure.

Recently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, EnviroMission owns the exclusive Australian licence to the breakthrough Solar Tower renewable energy technology. The Jules Vern-like dimensions of the technology will combine German expertise in solar energy conversion to electricity with Australian ingenuity to construct a clean, green power station to produce 200 megawatts of power.

200 megawatts of electricity is enough energy to power the needs of a city with 200,000 homes.

The power station's solar collector will be five kilometers wide and made of glass and/or plastic to harness the suns radiation. At the center of the collector will be the world's largest turbines located at the base of the 1000-metre Tower. The turbines will generate electricity powered by the solar thermal wind created under the collector as the air rises towards the cold air in the Tower.

The EnviroMission consortium is made up of a host of Australian and international energy and engineering experts who are currently localising the technology to Australian conditions.

EnviroMission chairman Mr. Martin Thomas AM, a former principal of engineering giant Sinclair Knight Merz, said the project is the most exciting he has been involved in.

"We know it will work, we know it can be built. Mr. Thomas said.

"The Australian Government is committed to green energy through its Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) legislation. This target requires the generation of 9,500 gigawatt hours of annual power from clean, green and renewable sources.

"Australia has a long way to go to meet its MRET target. Currently, all forms of renewable energy produce 925 gigawatt hours.

"The Solar Tower will enhance Australia's chances of meeting its goal. One single Solar Tower will meet about 8% of the MRET target.

"EnviroMission plans to build five Solar Towers over the next 10 years. This will be enough power for one million homes and will achieve around 40% of the MRET target.

"The key feature of the EnviroMission project is that it has zero emissions. An equivalent-sized coal-fired power station would produce 830,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

"Solar power has been very much under-utilised yet it is one of our greatest assets. This power station will work 24 hours a day and be most effective in the summer when the power grid demands are at its greatest.''

Mr Thomas said that construction of the EnviroMission power station was expected to start in late 2003 and will take around two years to construct.

"EnviroMission is testing a site outside Mildura in Victoria and is also examining other sites in Queensland, NSW and South Australia.

Mr. Thomas said the power station would bring huge benefits to Australia.

"We will be creating a new Australian export because once the first one is built, we expect international interest in our technology.

"There will be thousands of jobs created in the construction phase and burgeoning new opportunities will be created in the plastics, glass and cement industries.

"It will be a massive boost for jobs in regional Australia, an exciting tourism opportunity and with no emissions it will be great for the environment.''

Professor Jörg Schlaich the designer of the Solar Tower and a team of leading engineers from Schlaich Bergermann and Partner, are currently in Melbourne to formalise their consultancy to the project.

EnviroMission will publicly launch their company and the technology at Grossi Florentino Restaurant, 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne at 3:30 pm on Thursday 20 September. Interview opportunities with Prof. Schlaich will be available.

Ends

Further enquires to:
Kim Forte
Communications Manager
Phone: +61 3 8823 5333
Mob: 0414 690 356

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