Coal cost counted in Miner’s lives

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 2

Coal cost counted in Miner’s lives

| PA 1 Wellington ! Fifliy lives would probably be lost in underjground mining to supply I the coal necessary for a ; power station big enough ito replace a nuclear station. the Mines Depart- ; inent told the Royal Commission on nuclear power generation vesterIdav. I ’ ; The statement, was made in submissions to the commission on behalf of the department by the Secretary of (Mines (Mr I, D. Dick). Mr Dick said such a coal- . fired station would require ithe underground mining ufj (about three million tons a. (year for 30 years. I "Over this period, 20 men; (would certainly be killed;; I the probable number of lives! 'lost would be about 50: the maximum credible disaster would he 300 to 500 lives post,” he said. "These figures are r.ot I hypothetical. They are, i regret t a hi y, based on hard, operational results. ! Mr Dick said that over! (the next 20 to 30 years, thei I community would have two! I major problems over coal I (use. One was the allocation!

I!of limited coal reserves between large-scale sectors. - such as power generation, . metallurgical, uses such as psteel, heavy industry such a., (cement and pulp and paper. L other industrial users such lias dairy factories, freezing .(works, along with hospitals (and schools. '! The other was the envi’(ronmental price the comjmunrty was prepared to nay .'if it wished to meet increas"!ing energy needs by inIcreased use of coal. > “The environmental ’■costs of large-scale coal .! mining are high and it will [ he lor New Zealand to oecide if it’ is prepared to ..accept these costs to get the pcoal.” Mr Dick said.. I! "Despite best effons, J open-cast mining etan make !a thorough mess off several Jsquare miles of qud'.e fertile : [land for 10 to 40 vears. [[.Admittedly, it can insuaiiy be .-restored to a satisfactory, ! condition after the com-j pletion of mining.” Mr Dick said that under-) . ground mining had two; major environmentaj costs.! , The first was the cost of) ihuman life and the second) [was damage to the nhvsical (environment through subsidence. Mr Dick saiif in his subImissions that New Zea'and’s

■-(coal reserves were "very, (.(limited” — about 850 M tons. i,‘j "A coal-fired power stas tion of, say 1300 MW. opersiating for 30 years al 57 per '.icent load factors, requires hiabout 100 M tons of coal; glover its working life. s) "Hence nine such stations) would use all our coal re-; i-jserves. open-cast and under-; -[ground, high sulphur and) ylow sulphur, and would! -(leave no coal for anything! - else,” he said. During cross-examination I (by the commission and! {(interested parties, Mr Dick) I (was asked by Dr Erich) .(Geiringer to clarify hisj on reserves.. 5 ! He said that the 850 M (tons was the total in the J measured, indicated and inferred categories (but not jiin the speculative category) »■ recoverable at present rates, [which were about 90 per .(cent for open-cast mining and 10 to 75 per cent under.[ground. ! In answer to further ques-l .Itions. Mr Dick said that if ( lthe recovery' rate went up [from an average of 37 peri ffeent to 75 per cent, recov-i (ierable reserves would go up ( by about 50 per cent. But he declined to forecast; by how much recovery rates; were likely to improve! (through technical progress. I