For and against hydro project
PRINCE William and Prince Harry have released new photographs of their mother, Princess Diana, to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
The princes released three images from Princess Diana’s personal photo album to coincide with a documentary which airs in London today, Diana: Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
One of the photographs shows Princess Diana holding young son William. She was pregnant with Prince Harry when the photo was taken.
A second photograph shows Princess Diana and Harry enjoying a holiday together. The third photograph Princess Diana had kept in her album is of her two sons on a park bench.
The documentary and the release of photographs comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was just 37 years old.
A statement from Kensington Palace said the princes were pleased to share the photographs from their mother’s private album. DEVELOPING a hydro- electricity project near Tully could be compatible with the values of a Wet Tropics World Heritage Area which need not be amended or have part of the area excised, says State LNP MP Andrew Cripps.
But Townsville conservationist Gail Hamilton is opposed to the idea and says other areas can be developed for hydro- electricity without having to build renewable projects in the Wet Tropics.
Mr Cripps has asked the Federal Government to fund an updated feasibility study into the 600MW Tully Millstream hydro scheme.
A resolution to pursue the study was passed at the LNP State convention last week.
The scheme involves creating two water storages, pump stations and tunnelled pipelines, as well as developing an underground 600MW power station between the Koombooloomba Dam and upper reaches of the Tully River.
Much of it would be within the Wet Tropics area.
An existing 88MW Kareeya hydro plant is already in the area. Developed in 1957, its Koombooloomba storage is wholly within the Wet Tropics.
Mr Cripps said, given this, the larger Tully Millstream project should also compatible.
“It would appear that water storage activities with a hydro project are not incompatible with World Heritage,” he said.
Ms Hamilton, president of the North Queensland Conservation Council, said she did not believe the plan would be supported by conservationists.
While its potential to abate one million tonnes of carbon emissions was interesting, she said it was possible emissions could be cut without having to impact a World Heritage area.
“There does not need to be a trade- off. We can have renewables and protect special places,” Ms Hamilton said.
The Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation has prepared a feasibility review into the Tully Millstream project.
It wants to confirm the original 1988 design and assess options that might allow the project to be developed.
State and Federal governments abandoned the scheme in 1988 when the World Heritage area was declared.
Governments considered revisiting the scheme in 1991 and 1998 but concluded environmental and political issues could not be overcome.
“Conservationists will risk being seen as hypocrites by not supporting the opportunity to secure 600 megawatts of renewable, reliable energy in North Queensland,” Mr Cripps said.