Open Cut Coal Mine, Loy Yang, LaTrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia, 2007
Research trip to one of the large open-cut brown coal mines and power stations in the Latrobe valley, to document the scale, technology, and phenomenology of the archaic and toxic foundation of Victorias contemporary energy economy. Victoria has a massive reserve of low grade high moisture content brown coal, which burns innefficiently and produces more emissions than black coal.The mine is 25 years old and has removed approximately 500 million tonnes; that quantity will be removed again over the next 10 years. The mine is over 500 m deep and has penetrated groundwater below sealevel. 17 massive diggers and kilometres of conveyor belts feed the furnaces. During a heatwave day in Melbourne, the mine simply digs faster and the powerstation burns more coal as the load increases dramatically due to increased aircon use. CO2 emissions arise acordingly (click on thumbnails below for enlarged image).
