a fifth is 20%. Isn’t there a aluminium company that I have heard gobbles up about 25% of the states power at a cost below that paid by domestic users the people who live in this state?
Enlightnment please, is this true?
If so, this means that we have another company leaching of the public purse in Tassie.

Drought?  When will they wake up to the fact that this is not a drought, but part of a permanent climate change. 

The Hydro, Government at all levels and all businesses which use large amounts of water (wherever they get the water from) must adjust their planning to take the fact of long-term decrease in rainfall into account.  It might be too much to expect them to actually do anything to lessen the impact of climate change, but at least they should be able to read simple numbers.

Saying we are “going through a drought” is denying reality, and denial of reality is a lousy basis on which to do anything.

The big question is: are Comalco, the state’s most voracious consumer of power and one believed to obtain their power below cost, being asked to pay a similar increase in price to the increases being born by the average consumer?

If Comalco’s potlines were turned off, we would have power to export to the Mainland, instead of buying expensive, dirty coal generated power to run the aluminium smelter at Bell Bay.

Therein lies the paradox.  When a renewable resource doesn’t renew, we add to global pollution by importing ‘dirty’ power from Victoria. Wasn’t Tassie to be the major beneficiary in this outlandish power-swapping deal. Isn’t our Hydro filled to the brim with highly-paid experts as hydrologists, meteorologists and any other of the ologies that should have forseen empty dams and dependence on dirty, mega-expensive imports from a Bass Strait umbilical cord. Perhaps the Greens may have to campaign now to de-list the western ‘leech-ridden ditches’ from Heritage values to save us from dependence; to protect the atmosphere, irrigate our parched lowlands and even quench our thirsts. What happens to the residents of Orford this year for example, when the water runs out. We’re already on pre-summer critical stage-three level and the collective of great minds in Glamorgan Spring Bay council are aiming their deep concern at the residents with a list of don’ts. No watering of our budget-saving little back vegie patches. And no washing of anything but clothes and dishes and bums. And yet the drone of the Gunns Triabunna woodchip mill goes on, lights blazing all through the night in its 24-7 quest for production. It’s a much-discussed topic at Orford that recently a poorly-maintained water-line lost over a million litres. Is it time to wave the practical, survival finger at the big power and water-users across this State with an emergency cut-back policy. If its good enough for the rate-payers, the taxpayer residents to be subjected to virtual-rationing of water and wise-use of power, then its good enough for the big ganders on the big farms. If it wasn’t a statutory requirement, Hydro may not have posted its public report on massive losses and none of us would have been any wiser on just how critical things are becoming. This same requirement should be made of the gluttonous industrial power and water-users. Tell the people what’s going on behind the industrial shutters so we can regulate the fair use of our water and power resources. Superman’s mum and dad got it right by shooting their little tacker from a dying world to Earth. Perhaps only he can save us.

In reply to Scott, bulk power users buy their power through secret arrangement negotiated between them and the Hydro, with some overbearing oversight by the State Government.

Although the contractual specifics are withheld from we the people (who own the power stations), we do know that the bulk contracts are, in part, linked to cheap power delivered from the early Hydro schemes that are now all but paid for. i.e. dirt cheap.

There are clauses in the contracts that allow for some flexibility but the blunt answer to your question is that it is mainly domestic consumers and commercial consumers (small business operators) who have to pick up the tab for the Basslink debacle.

Keep in mind that the domestic sector (all Tasmania’s homes) consumes less that one fifth of Tasmania’s power supply.

Having said all that the Hydro is under extraordinary pressure from government to maintain its generous and long-term fixed commercial relationships with Comalco et al even though the Hydro could benefit far more financially by opportunistically exporting bulk power into the national grid (or at least not having to buy it in).

The Hydro is sort of caught in a horrible bind that will not ease off until 1) it rains heavily for several months or 2) a major bulk consumer happens to close.

Meanwhile, sorry folks, we citizens have to pick up the tab. Basslink is like a millstone around our necks. Our only manoevre to lessen the burden of rapidly increasing power prices is to limit our own use of power, or generate our own (via small solar etc).

Add a 26-40 billion litre-guzzling pulp mill into the mix…....yeah, right! I DON’T think so!