#mountpiper — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mountpiper, aggregated by home.social.
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Enough water for #nuclear reactors in #NSW but scientists worry about #wildlife
July 19, 2024
"The federal opposition has proposed seven #NuclearPowerPlants across the country if it wins the next election.
"Its plan involves building the plants on retiring or retired #coal sites, including two in #NewSouthWales, at #Liddell in the #HunterValley and #MountPiper near #Lithgow.
[...]
#Environmental concerns
"The environmental impact of both [closed-loop and once through] systems has raised concerns in #conservation groups.
"While the closed-loop system does not return water warmer to the supply than when it was taken out, the once-through cooling process does.
"Professor Johnson said changes to the temperature of #LakeLyell and #LakeLiddell could be harmful aquatic native #wildlife.
"'#Ecosystems are evolved and used to a certain temperature range, so when temperatures are higher than that, it can change all the things that live in the river,' she said.
"Jacqui Mills from the NSW Nature Conservation Council believed the once-through cooling method could have #catastrophic consequences.
"'If you have hot water discharges, it will very likely kill microorganisms,' Ms Mills said.
"'That has a flow-on impact for the creatures that rely on them like #platypus. It basically disrupts the #environment.'
"Julie Favell from the Lithgow Environment Group said recent examples of coal and other #mining industries breaching #environmental #regulations gave her 'no confidence' that a #NuclearPlant would be safe.
"'Over the past 20 years we have seen so many impacts on #swamps, #waterways, the damage in most cases is irreversible,' she said.
"'You cannot erase human error and natural disasters. There would be nothing left if one of those incidents happened.'"
#NoNukes #NoNukesAustralia #Australia #Solar #Tidal #RenewablesNow #ProtectWildlife #ProtectNature #WaterIsLife