I’ve walked in a little late to the great power station imbroglio. But I believe I have a solution to the problem.
We should build the gas fired power station on Ainslie’s Keith Tournier oval.
No wait, bear with me here.
First on the subject of dirty power…
The more vocal critics are opposing building a power station on the grounds that it is “Dirty Power”.
Dirty as opposed to their theoretical moonbeam power generator, which runs on pixie dust and warm happy feelings, sure.
But dirtier than power from a brown coal station in the LaTrobe valley which then suffers huge transmission losses on the wire to us?
Or from a hydro plant? Which valley full of fluffy animals would you like to flood to get more of that?
You already have to option to buy green power credits for hypothetical renewable energy 24/7.
But for the rest of the population a local gas-fired power station positively glows green compared to a rational assessment of the alternatives.
“Oh but the pollutants” they twitter, while expecting that a transport system driven by tens of thousands of small inefficient petrol and diesel engines be rolled to their doorstops.
There are health standards, they can be adhered to.
Selling the turd
Now a sneaky Government would have backed us into this. Starting with some reports warning of dire consequences unless we sorted out some power generation. Follow it up by sending Gavin down in the truck to turn off the lights in selected suburbs every few nights.
They’d have kept it going until the frightened burghers were positively begging for power stations.
Instead they just announced they were doing it and told the relevant bed-wetters to stuff it. Which might have worked if they hadn’t already taken this approach on so very many issues that pretty much everyone in Canberra is still smarting from the last dose they personally received.
So now it’s a problem.
The solution
Given that real environmentalists would support a local gas-fired power station we now need to find a location that can man up and take one for the team.
Where better than Ainslie?
The marvelous Goodwin aged care facility is nearing completion (without, as it happens, irrevocable damage to the social and environmental fabric of Canberra’s most precious suburb).
Right across the road we have the Keith Tournier oval.
Normally Ainslie-ites would be threatening to chain themselves to the hallowed turf in protest. (Note: not actually doing it)
But recently the oval has been converted to the use of Rugby League.
Power station? Or Rugby League players?
And with the site pretty much surrounded by an age care facility no concerns about long term health impacts.
You know it makes sense.
