Dr Kaye said: “Last week when Peter Debnam called clean coal an oxymoron, he was echoing Phil Koperberg’s condemnation of the technology in September.
 
“With the future of the electricity industry in NSW hanging in the balance, it is time for the debate to be driven by the realities of low emissions sources, instead of a bunch of convenient untruths peddled by the coal industry.

“Even the most enthusiastic clean coal technologists agree that carbon capture and storage technology is highly unlikely to be available for commercial applications before 2025, if ever.

“The Iemma government cannot now use the clean-coal excuse to build a new coal-fired power station.

“Two 700 MW coal units would pump out 122 million tonnes of CO2 between  completion in 2012 and the first possible date at which carbon capture and storage might become commercially available.

“Even then it would be difficult if not impossible to convert the plant into a clean coal power station, if the technology is ever proven to work cost-effectively.

“Peter Debnam and Phil Koperberg have unmasked the myth that clean coal is relevant to the current debate about new energy sources for NSW.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released this weekend makes it clear that this state must act immediately to reduce emissions.

“Premier Morris Iemma and Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell should listen to their colleagues and reject the clean coal oxymoron,” Dr Kaye said.