The end of the coal age is now inevitable - it's only the timing that's in question. In the face of this the NSW government is potentially on the verge of approving a 15% increase in the State's greenhouse emissions when it releases its decision on the coal powered Bayswater and Mt Piper extensions this week. They are doing this at a time when NSW alone has 1311MW of FULLY APPROVED wind power projects awaiting construction and many more in the development pipeline. Why would NSW choose to build redundant and damaging coal stations ahead of readily available, affordable emission free energy?

The Europeans are showing us the way. A report published by the European Wind Energy Association reveals that "39% of all new capacity installed in 2009 was wind power, followed by gas (26%) and solar photovoltaics (16%). Europe decommissioned more coal and nuclear capacity than it installed in 2009". And they do this with far poorer wind resource than NSW.

The government should be removing road blocks to these wind powered plants commencing construction instead of approving yet more fossil power for the State which will only serve to make our future emission reductions more difficult and financially painful