September 3, 2007...8:47 am
Australian Critical Infrastructure secret committees offer zero-intelligence to Loy Yang A as laughing Y-Gen APEC orange people halt giant coal plant
Opinion: Cheerful young X-Gen protestors in Melbourne, Australia, thought it all a bundle of laughs as - wearing Guatanamo-orange overalls - they simply scaled the Loy Yang A power station fence - which runs along a highway - walked a few steps to the coal conveyer belt, pressed the conveyor-belt emergency stop-button, and chained themselves to the mechanisms. They stopped two conveyor belts. The site contains two generator groups - Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B.
Homer Simpson security: Loy Yang A security systems registered no break in, and Loy Yang A managers had no idea of the invasion of the orange people, until the protestors pressed the emergency stop - button. According to Loy Yang A chief executive, Ian Nethercote, the event took 600 MW off line. Operator, NEMMCO reports were a little more conservative, and showed 71MW offline. Loy Yang A chief executive, Ian Nethercote - told government news service, the ABC, 12 people broke in and 4 chained themselves to the conveyer belt, at about 5 am. The four were there until 11 am until police used angle-grinders to free the four, who were then arrested, and taken to Traralgon Police Station, and charged with trespass. The cheerful protestors’ informative website offered more intelligence than the Loy Yang A site, which was still populated with old press releases, 12 hours later . The protestors described the protest as successful and “inspirational”. They also opposed geosequestration. Loy Yang A is part of a consortium with plans for a CO2-dump hub, based in the La Trobe Valley.
Security intelligence “zero say Police, and CEO: “Intelligence around this was totally zero”, complained Nethercote, who appeared to expect that the high-price security systems, and layers of high-paid committees of portly baby-boomers would have provided some advance notice. It was the “First time in 20 years”, he said. Local police also said it had “no intelligence”. The missing intelligence was easy to find, as the spokesperson for the group - in a release to Indymedia - was Michaela Stubbs, who was also associated with the Alliance Against Uranium secretariat, and Friends of the the Earth (0429 136 935 michaela.stubbs@foe.org.au at FoE Melbourne 312 Smith Street Collingwood. Victoria tel: 03 9419 8700 Fax: 03 9416 2081). An active lobbyist, Stubbs has contributed to formal processes and Senate Committees.
Spreading orange effect: Nethercote said he was was “surprised” that the APEC events had spread to the La Trobe Valley. Ian Nethercote told the ABC at 5.40 pm Loy Yang A capacity was cut by 600 MW. The protestors easily broke Loy Yang A security and it was not until they pressed the emergency button stop button on the coal conveyor belt that that Loy Yang operations became aware they were there. “ We are not sure of their access” Superindent Geoff Newby, superintendent, Traralgon Police told the ABC. Nethercote - a member of the Liberal lobby group the Institute of Public Affairs Limited - was previously a chair of the Chairman of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia. The director of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia chaired the electricity committee of the secret Critical Infrastructure committee.
Cheerful invaders: The group which claimed responsibility was Real Action on Climate Change. Its blog gave this report: “Early on this chilly Monday morning, we locked onto the conveyor belts of the dirty brown coal power station called Loy Yang, in Traralgon, Victoria, cutting power generation to half capacity. The protest was part of a national day expressing dissent against APEC’s disastrous climate policies. We have targeted coal as the worst greenhouse gas polluter. Massive conveyors taking the coal to feed Loy Yang fires were stopped when two people attached themselves using lock on devices inside the conveyor belt room. Another conveyor belt transporting tailings was also disrupted, banners flying in full colour.
Helicopters are circling above and there are many cold hands and feet, but the action has been an amazing success and we drive to the town laughing, knowing that our friends are still locked onto their machinery, disrupting the movement of dirty brown coal. Our protest has transformed into creative action. Under the smokestacks we have created something that is beautiful, and we walk away with coal streaked faces, but glowing eyes…we are part of a growing movement of direct action on the root causes of climate change”.
Loy Yang Power owns and operates the 2100 megawatt Loy Yang power station and the adjacent Loy Yang coal mine. The company is owned by the Great Energy Alliance Corporation which is comprised of AGL (32.5pc), Tokyo Electric Power Company (32.5pc), MTAA Super (11.9pc), Transfield Services (9.32pc), Westscheme (5.7pc), Mitsui (5.6pc) and Statewide Superannuation Trust (2.5pc). Security at six other power plants was stepped up to protect against further invasions of APEC orange people.
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