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Fish handouts off the menu GOVERNMENT-imposed restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have had unforeseen effects on wildlife. The ban on fishing has obviously been a lifesaver for many fish, but it has also (temporarily) ended the symbiotic relationship between pelicans and anglers at Hastings. When the boats leave the pelicans usually sit patiently on pier pylons or light towers secure in the knowledge that a meal will be on the way when fish are cleaned back on shore. Joined by seagulls (who are also no slouch at scavenging) the pelicans are now reduced to actually doing some fishing themselves or receiving handouts from the public until fresh, hand-delivered fish is back on the menu. And when someone does come along to the car park near Hastings pier with what appears to be a meal in a moment, guess who’s waiting to come to dinner? Picture: Fran Henke
‘Green hydrogen’ nearly affordable Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au A SMALL processing plant nearing completion in Bayview Road, Hastings can be seen as representing a much larger struggle between competing sides in the race to produce hydrogen. The Hastings plant will turn hydrogen gas into liquid to be exported to Japan for use as a clean fuel in vehicles. However, the hydrogen comes from processing brown coal in the Latrobe
Valley and necessitates the “capture and storage” of CO2, a by-product that will not be exported. Meanwhile, Queensland and South Australia - also Labor states - are backing the production of hydrogen from water using solar or wind power. Essentially, “green hydrogen” is produced by using electrolysis to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. Although power intensive, its proponents say renewable power is getting cheaper all the time and electrolysis will quickly become more cost effec-
tive than coal. Environment Victoria’s campaigns manager Dr Nicholas Aberle said the Latrobe Valley pilot project “problematic as it could be the thin end of the wedge”. “They’re not testing the carbon capture storage part of the project and [using brown coal] remains a false hope for [jobs in] the Latrobe Valley.” Dr Aberle had “no doubt” that hydrogen would be part of the energy supply chain in the future, “but this is not green hydrogen, the race is really over
before it’s started”. “Coal to hydrogen remains a shortterm and polluting source of energy. The future will no doubt involve growing use of hydrogen as a fuel, but it needs to be clean hydrogen. “Producing hydrogen from renewable energy will soon be cost-competitive and will always be cleaner and less risky than using coal. “This pilot project is just another pipe dream of things to do with Latrobe Valley coal. Pretending coal-to-hydrogen has a future serves only to distract
from the real economic diversi-fication task facing that community.” Precautions against COVID-19 are being taken to protect workers involved in the brown-coal-to-hydrogen pilot project at Hastings and in the Latrobe Valley. “We remain fully committed to navigating through these challenging times with resilience and continue working to our ambitious, mutual hydrogen vision,” the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain’s project partners stated last month. Continued Page 3
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