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SW: add details of approvla
Ms Margaret Sewell, the head of the Clean Energy Division in the department and the CEO of the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy told the committee that "the project proponents still have to reach financial close before any of the Australian government’s funding will be realised. If the rules under which this power station is built were to change, then they would have to deal with that. We will not sign the deed and make the commitment of the money unless they have reached closure, and they will have to deal with carbon pricing, emissions standards—whatever the environmental controls of the day are. That is just part of the project.<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/S13579.pdf "Senate Economics Legislation Committee Estimates"], Commonwealth of Australia, Proof Committee Hansard, February 23, 2011, page 78. (Pdf)</ref>
==EPA approves the project==
In May 2011 the Victorian Environment Protection Authority announced that it had approved one 300MW generating units of the two the company had proposed. Instead of assessing the project against 'best practice' standards for generating electricity, the EPA assessed the project "against best practice for brown coal fired power generation". In a media release announcing the decision, released on Friday May 20, the EPA stated that "the demonstration project is best practice for this type of brown coal technology and will produce electricity with around a 30 per cent improvement on current greenhouse gas emissions from coal fired power stations. This is a significantly better environmental outcome than other plants currently producing electricity from brown coal in Victoria."<ref name="EPAGo">Environment Protection Authority, [http://epanote2.epa.vic.gov.au/EPA/media.nsf/7957c9b407150e5f4a256695000c4970/3ef6c05c3ece1db4ca257896000bac95?OpenDocument EPA Grants Part Approval for HRL Demonstration Project"], Media Release, May 20, 2011.</ref>
EPA CEO John Merritt stated in a media release that the second proposed 300MW generating unit would be "reviewed when the proponent was able to demonstrate the successful operation of the first phase of the demonstration project." He also stated that the approval for the first unit was "conditional on HRL Dual Gas Pty Ltd submitting details on how it will meet all conditions prior to construction, including additional measures to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions."<ref name="EPAGo"/>
==Citizens groups campaigning against the project==
* Environment Victoria, [http://www.environmentvictoria.org.au/content/tell_the_EPA_to_reject_the_proposed_new_coal-fired_power_station_for_Victoria "Tell the EPA to reject the proposed new coal-fired power station for Victoria"], September 2010.
