Aussie power generators flunk carbon test
04 Sep 2008
Eleven dinosaurs of Australia's power generating industry, including poor performers Rio Tinto, Alcoa and Intergen, are horribly unprepared for a low carbon future, a new report has shown.
According to the 2008 WWF-Australia Power Generators Carbon Future Score Card almost half of the 19 generators audited fared very badly, with 11 companies rating two or less stars out of a possible five.
Despite knowing for 20 years that carbon emissions would have to be cut, the carbon footprints of the worst performing companies from power generation and mining interests remain enormous and extremely damaging.
In addition, many still have to make their pollution reduction targets publicly available and some compound this with virtually no investment in low emissions technology research.
"It's remarkable how these dinosaur companies can complain about their future and ask for hand-outs but do zero to reduce their emissions," WWF Development and Sustainability Program Manager Paul Toni said.
"For two decades there has been no wringing of hands, no worrying about the future or the impact on our environment, just business as usual, without a second thought for anything but short-term profits."
The scorecard reveals how much - or how little - the biggest power generators are spending of their record profits to introduce low emissions technology to help combat the threat of global warming.
The appalling results of companies such as Rio Tinto and Intergen are in stark contrast to industry leaders like Origin Energy, TRUenergy, Babcock and Brown, Transfield Infrastructure Services and Verve who scored five and four stars respectively. AGL, CS Energy and International Power scored reasonably well on three stars.
Companies with positive results have already lowered their emissions and are preparing for the future by aiming for low carbon targets and investing in research to assist them in getting there.
However, across the board, it is clear that many Australian power generators could do much better.
With the Garnaut interim report, Target and Trajectories, due for release this Friday, it is astonishing to discover that three quarters of those surveyed hadn't even developed their own low emissions targets.
"Our power generators need to focus on targets now, so they can focus on goals for the future," Mr Toni said. "A low carbon future is coming whether our power generation companies are ready or not. The time for our corporate leaders to sit on their hands has long gone."
Download
Power Generators Carbon Future Score Card
For more information
Alvin Stone, WWF-Australia Press Office
Phone: 02 8202 1259 or mobile 0418 617 366
Note
18 September: In the course of preparing the Power Generator Scorecard, WWF-Australia made an error of fact in relation to AGL. WWF-Australia awarded three stars to AGL instead of four - the additional star awarded for ‘Low Emission Generation Mix'. This error arose from a typographical error in the analysis documents. WWF apologises to AGL for this error.
