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To: jackhsmit(at)safecom.org.au
Subject: Contact from the Project SafeCom Web Site
Date: January 09, 2007 at 11:24:11

Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
 (marilyn.chalkley@csiro.au) on Tuesday, January 09, 2007 at 11:24:11
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name: Marilyn Chalkley

address: PO Box 225, Dickson

town: Canberra

state: Australian Capital Territory

postcode: 02 6276 6859

phone: 02 62823861

age: 50+

comments: Hi all

I have just seen your press release "CSIRO needs internat'l support to counter Howard". You may not have seen the letter from CSIRO published in the Canberra Times last Saturday saying that Rosslyn Beeby was completely wrong in her claims about a Report on geosequestration being confiscated. There has never been such a report and Rosslyn did not check with CSIRO before she printed this rumour, which is untrue.It would be good if you could correct your release.

The text of our letter is below.

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Dear Sir,

Rosslyn Beeby's claim (Canberra Times, January 4, p.15) that a CSIRO report on the feasibility of geosequestration was confiscated and destroyed is entirely wrong.

There is no second CSIRO report on geosequestration. There is a considerable amount of work being done on the issue by CSIRO and its partners, as well as on a wide spectrum of energy technologies - work which will be written up and published expeditiously. In December 2006 CSIRO produced, with the Energy Futures Forum, a report called 'The Heat Is On', giving eight scenarios for Australia's future energy use including carbon capture and sequestration.

CSIRO scientists did indeed contribute to a report from the Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development. The draft was not handed round like a hot potato: it was being peer-reviewed, a necessary part of any scientific report! The result, Concentrating Solar Thermal Power, was provided late last year to members of the CRC.

The report's only statement about the cost-competitiveness of solar thermal energy was from overseas projections assuming rapid development of the technology. The assumption relates to solar thermal electricity in a small plant with storage of six hours. The report quotes a joint study by Greenpeace and the European Solar Power Industry Association on projections for the world solar thermal power market up to 2040 on which basis, solar thermal will only supply 5% of the total expected electricity . Clearly, providing baseload generation for the whole of Australia at a cost-competitive price will require R&D over more than seven years.

Scientists certainly need to be heard about such significant matters. However, they need to be heard dispassionately rather than in tones of unsubstantiated accusation.

Steve Morton
CSIRO Executive, Canberra
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Thanks, Marilyn Chalkley

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