Southwood & Wood-fire Power

Faced with declining sales of native forest woodchips, Tasmanian logging companies are desperate to find new markets to entrench lucrative, large scale forest destruction. Burning native forests for power generation is their latest plan. The Huon Valley Environment Centre is spearheading a new campaign to encourage Tasmanians to say NO to forest furnaces. Along with other NGOs, community groups, concerned scientists and forest users we are bringing this message to the public and the politicians.

For almost a decade, Forestry Tasmania has been seeking to develop a 30-50 MW Wood-Fired Power station at Southwood (near Lonnavale) in the Huon Valley.

Tasmania is the only state in Australia that endorses the burning of old growth forests and rainforest to produce electricity, as is planned at Southwood. The Southwood “Biomass Plant” is one of three current proposals to burn forests for power. Other proposals include at Circular Head and at Gunns' proposed Pulp Mill in the Tamar Valley. The Wood-Fired Power Station is the only component of the Southwood complex that does not specifically exclude the use of old growth.

Not only does the industry plan to burn native forest in domestic power stations, but also to export large shipments of timber overseas for burning and to provide "wood waste" to fire furnaces in industrial developments such as a planned silicon smelter in the North West.

The risks and impacts associated with wood-fired power stations and industrial fuel wood harvesting are well documented. It is vital that the Australian and Tasmanian Governments do not provide support to these proposals either through granting of RECs or other funding arrangements. You can read more about the impacts on the environment and health through the attached report prepared by the Huon Valley Environment Centre.

YOU CAN HELP by signing the online petition against forest furnaces at:
http://210.8.42.131/view/EPetitions_TAS_Assembly/CurrentEPetition.aspx?P...
(Tasmanian residents only)

Visit the sourcewatch page for more relevant facts:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Forestry_Tasmania_and_wood-fi...