Sensational-Adelaide.com

More info on the mill (6/9/07) and linking to the railway. (from railpage - originally from the Advertiser) Expanding on Rhino's posts -

'Owners of the controversial Penola Pulp Mill yesterday signed a $70m deal to transport 750 000 tonnes of pulp a year via Port Adelaide.

The agreement will also include a major upgrade of the south east rail line - despite the pulp mill yet to receive final approval by parliament.

It is expected to create 100 new rail and port jobs.....Flinders Ports CEO Vincent Tremaine says the deal, which would result in a 20% increase increae in container exports from Outer Harbour, has major ramifications.

Under the plan a 150km branch line from Penola to Wolseley would be converted from broad to standard gauge to link with the Adelaide corridor'.


very interesting that MG is not connected by the state gov't also - considering that is was a significant freight centre for rail. Excellent for Prt Adelaide.

More info - from ABC news 6/9/07 (Better late than not at all).

'The Penola Pulp Mill in South Australia's south east is looking to hot rocks company Osiris for it's power.

The mill has struck an agreement with Osiris to buy it's geothermal energy if the company can successfully
set up a plant in the region.

The Mills's director, John Roache, says geothermal energy will not power the entire mill, but it will go a long way towards making the mill as carbon neutral as possible'....but he says a lot of the deal rests with Osiris' success'.


I seem to remember one of the complaints about the mill was that it would affect all of Victoria's climate. I wonder if this move was a response to the complaint of the mill environmentally carbon unfriendly.

Next update - from ABC news 19/9/07 - confirms Rhino's entry of 12/9/07.

'Protavia, the company behind the Penola Pulp Mill in south eastern South Australia , says it will not let the community down and will construct ther billion dollar project.

The mill gained parliamentary approval last week, with local development officials saying it is now up to Protavia to commercialise the mill.

Engineers have spent the week finishing the desgn of the mill and confirming costs.

Project director John Roache says Protavia recognises the pressure of expectation it is now under to deliver.

We can dealwith it because we deal with it all the time.

We're incredibly grateful for the parliamentary process. The bill received fantastic support in both hpousres, and we're not going to let people down.


Rhino - will hear from from you soon, no doubt.

I didn't even know this marina was planned - doesn't surprise me though - Robe is one of the prime seaside locations in this state.

From Adelaide Now:

Robe marina hangs in balance
CALLIE WATSON
December 19, 2007 06:30pm

A REPORT set for release early next year will determine the future of a controversial multi-million-dollar marina at Robe.
District Council mayor William Pedden said the report by former chief executive Judith Jones will be received in January. It looks at cost-effective ways to complete the $6 million Lake Butler Marina.
Construction on the project started in April, 2006, but came to a halt eight months later when board members of the Marina Corporation, a subsidiary of council, overseeing the development were not re-appointed. A significant amount of dredging is needed before the marina is operational.
Mr Pedden said the development had contributed greatly to the council's mounting $8.3 million debt, revealed by State Treasury.
"The marina's been a divisive issue among the community but I think most people just want to see it finished now," he said.
Acting chief executive Bill Hender said capital works had been cut to a minimum to try to reduce debt. Two council-owned properties have been placed on the market and are expected to sell for a combined $450,000.
"There's a limit to how much you can raise rates by and it's not something anybody wants to see but we're working to try and reduce this," Mr Hender said.
The council is expected to appoint a permanent chief executive in January. Six people have held the position temporarily since Rob Kay resigned in December, 2006, after 32 years in the job.
Malcolm Crout was given the role permanently in July but left after four months, citing family reasons.

PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE INVESTIGATED A very long and wordy article summarised from The Border Watch 16/9/08

The original SE line reconstruction was to just south of Penola.(The Pulp Mill) The passenger service assumes rail re connection from the Pulp Mill at the state's expense.

Dependant on the futue of the $1.5bn Penola Pulp Mill, state parliament is investigating the feasability of a restored passenger service to MG. Standalone passenger services won't succeed.This move towards MG services - and thus rail re connection to Penola is gaining momentum.

MG would have to have a bus/rail terminal on the city's NW fringe to draw trains away from the city centre.

Grant district council is also formally discussing the matter. (The jurisidiction of this group covers the rural areas around MG).

With this is a move in Portland (Vic)to be reconnected to MG. The Victorian government IS connecting Portland by rail again. The remaining section to MG via Heywood is not long.

IMO they want freight traffic to go to Portland from SA.(Have not seen this in print however).

As for a new terminal outside the city - take passengers only to the current city station. 1 - 2 passenger trains a day won't interfere with city traffic to any significant degree. This would eliminate the need for a bus/rail terminal. Freight could still go to the new proposed area on the NW of the city.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

Would running passenger trains interfere with freight trains?

I'm sure we all know that freight is where the real money is.

Provided that adequate passing loops and locations are provided as well as sensible train pathing arrangements are provided, passenger services wouldn't interfere too much with freight which is expected to be around 5/6 trains a week according to my sources.

Yes Will, you are quite correct.

On examination of the railway diagram of operations, they managed quite well in the 1950's when two passenger trains a day and two freight trains a day came to (or from MG). Thus in total, 14 trains a week to/from MG. Remember also that this was in the days of steam (the Webb 500's, 600's and O'shea's 620's and the heavy 720's) when all was much slower and more involved to operate. It should also be noted that heavy traffic in the UK at that time saw a train every 4 minutes go through some stations in the country.We have no idea of real rail traffic in Aust.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

skyliner wrote:IMO they want freight traffic to go to Portland from SA.(Have not seen this in print however).

Most export traffic from the Mount Gambier region already goes through Portland. The rail connection will only make this easier. The reason the pulp is going via Port Adelaide is that Protavia are shipping it in containers, and there is no container facility at Portland. Since Port Adelaide and the Port of Portland are both owned by Flinders Ports, there is no incentive (or room) at this stage for them to build a container facility at Portland when the containerised pulp can be railed to Port Adelaide.

Thanks Rhino - SA products benefit to SA I always say. Gains for Pt Adelaide - even better.(That's a lot of highly patriotic stuff for you). But seriously, SA loses out too often to the other states. Multiply this by a few years and the gap widens to give even greater advantages interstate.

Having a rail link to Portland can only increase the amount of export going via that place, but if it benefits MG more while Protavia uses Pt Adelaide, why not.

Note - in my last post I forgot freight workings to Vic by rail out of MG - one a day - making 21 trains a day to/from MG. for a place of 10000!

The fact that most SE SA products go to Vic may explain why the SE seems ignored by the SA gov't

skyliner wrote:SA products benefit to SA I always say.

Portland is the nearest port to the South East, so it's cheaper for exporters in the region to ship from there - simple economics. In another thread on this site there was mention of a bid to build a woodchip port at Cape Jaffa not getting up because of local opposition - it would change the 'feel' of the area. Imagine if it was built and a rail line put in to Kingston, then along the existing rail corridor from there to Naracoorte (assuming the line to Wolesley is rebuilt) - not only woodchips but grain from as far away as Nhill would be cheaper to ship via Cape Jaffa than Melbourne. But no, instead of a port and employment bringing money into the district, we've got a marina.

skyliner wrote: The fact that most SE SA products go to Vic may explain why the SE seems ignored by the SA gov't

I too have often percieved the lands beyond the River Murray borders as part of 'Greater Victorian Empire'
"Once you cross the Murray, you might as well be in Victoria"

The communities around there are quite reliant on Victorian industries and have close relationships with the Victorian communities as well. It is no wonder the SA Government wouldn't invest too much into the area which has sort of turned its back to SA, there is not a lot to be gained from and probably would be of more benefit to them to us.
Thats why projects like the $450m duplication of the South-Eastern Freeway > Western Highway connection would have little economic benefit for us, considering its price tag - and any economic benefit would go straight across the border where the majoirty of freight traffic operates.

More news about the SE. MG line canned by gov't due to economic situation. Main Protavia finance pulled out for Pulp Mill (22/10/09) but John Roche ('boss') says the mill WILL start early in 2009 anyway. (Source - the Border Watch - tabs on Penola Pulp Mill). Rail conversion to Penola to continue. Pretty confident young chap I must say. Gunns Pulp Mill in Tas also lost main financial support. Hope the SE mill goes ahead - environmental issues, especially water, have been addressed, but reduction in the wood industry could be a threat.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

Hope this gets built. We need everything that improves our economy to be built or approved.

SA is behind the other states in alot of areas, and its these sorts of projects that help us catch up much quicker.

Forestry and wood pulping/chipping aren't the kind of industries that are clear winners for the state or the nation, especially when they are used for export.

Once the pulp is freighted to Port Adelaide, where is it heading after that? If it's following the route of Tasmania's forestry products, it's off to Japan who use it to manufacture paper and cardboard products that they sell back to us for a price that's orders of magnitude more than they paid us. In Collapse, Jared Diamond describes the trade as having the kind of imbalance that you would expect to find between first and third world nations - we get all the environmental problems and they get the high value-added industry. And it's because nations like ours are willing to cut down our trees and sell them for a pittance that Japan can remain the most forested first-world nation.

I'd be more excited to hear that we were going to manufacture the end products themselves with a view to supplying the domestic market, thereby removing an expensive import.