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SW: →EPA approves the project: add Merritt statements
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"/> In an interview Merritt argued that "we were clear that our interpretation of the Act and our application of the best-practice standard was to compare this technology against alternative brown coal technologies and power generation." Asked why the proposed power station wasn't compared against alternative energy sources, Merritt suggested the agency was constrained by its own legislation. "Look it's important for environmental regulators everywhere to work within the legislation that they have," he said.<ref>Mary Gearin, [http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2011/s3222812.htm "Outcry over new coal-fired plant in Victoria"], ''PM'', ABC radio National, May 20, 2011.</ref>
In a media release Environment Victoria CEO Kelly O’Shanassy stated that "there is no way the HRL Dual Gas project can be considered to be best practice electricity generation given that it is twice as polluting as an efficient gas power station and many times more polluting that renewable energy or energy efficiency projects."<ref name="EVGo">[http://www.environmentvictoria.org.au/media/victorian-environment-protection-authority-approves-big-pollution-hike "Victorian Environment Protection Authority approves big pollution hike"], Environment Victoria, May 20, 2011.</ref>
