Demand for coal rising

National carbon emissions are on the rise, according to the latest Cedex report from Pitt and Sherry.
According to the report, there was an increase in emissions from generators in the National Electricity Market (NEM), which covers every state except Western Australia, the Northern Territory and some remote grids, in the two months from May to July, a rise that was the highest since 2004.
• Triple carbon emissions target, says climate body
• Coal on the way out of South Australia
• Coalition MP denounces RET legislation
Amongst increases in demand for coal electricity – to 76.3 per cent – there was a two month increase of 1.2 per cent in annual emissions from NEM generators.
“It’s obvious we’re going in the other direction,” Dr Saddler said in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, in response to efforts to reduce emissions targets.
Queensland saw the biggest increases, on the back of drops in gas generation.
Ironically, this increase is thought to have been caused by demand from LNG plants in Gladstone, with coal electricity necessary for its generation.
As a Parliamentary Inquiry into wind turbines wraps up, wind generation has seen a drop in May levels – in both total output and share of NEM electricity supply.
“However, NEM wind generators recorded both their highest ever 30-minute trading period average output, 3351 MW in the half hour to 8pm on July 25, and their highest daily output of 70.6GWh on the same day,” the report outlined.
Last month, Pitt and Sherry reported that although the carbon tax had little effect on demand for electricity, emissions from the generators supplying the electricity saw a steep decline.
As a Parliamentary Inquiry into wind generation wraps up, the Pitt and Sherry report listed wind generation as seeing a steady increase to 5.4 per cent, but is predicted to see falls in the future because of the lack of new construction in the past two years.