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Forestry Tasmania has welcomed the Australian parliament's rejection of the Green's attempt to deny Australians the opportunity to share in the benefits of one of the world's great renewable energy sources - Biomass.
Forestry Tasmania's Strategic Business Unit manager Michael Wood said generating power using sawmill waste and wood that would otherwise be burnt on the forest floor made good environmental, health and economic sense.
“It would be particularly beneficial in Tasmania because it has the potential to significantly reduce smoke from regeneration burns and to create sustainable long term jobs while generating electricity,” Mr Wood said.
“When the waste wood is converted to energy in a renewable energy plant, the smoke particles are filtered out and collected as mineral ash to be used in orchards and forests as fertiliser.
“A 25 megawatt plant, capable of meeting the current electricity needs of all residents and industries south of Hobart, would lead to an estimated 50 new jobs.
“We are disappointed the Australian Greens continue to misrepresent biomass. Claims that biomass would lead to native forest destruction and destroy habitat are wrong.
“Biomass plants in Tasmania would simply use waste from sawmills and wood that would otherwise be burnt in the open air. To maintain invertebrate habitat, 30 per cent of the available fuelwood would be left in the bush.
“The renewable energy plant would also accept wood waste from farms and orchards, thereby reducing burns and related smoke on private property.”
Mr Wood said progressive countries around the world, particularly North American, Scandinavian, and other European countries had embraced this form of renewable energy.
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