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a calendar of events.

2008 – Year of the Engineering Team

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Daily engineering news

22 September 2008

News

Don’t let coal-fired powerstations off the hook



The issue of energy security needs more discussion, according to Engineers Australia. Shown here is the Loy Yang powerstation in the La Trobe Valley, Victoria. PHOTO: Newspix.

Assistance should not be given to coal-fired electricity powerstations when the federal government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) is introduced in 2010.
In its submission to the federal government’s green paper on the scheme, Engineers Australia questioned whether electricity generators should fall under the category of Strongly Affected Industries.
This category describes entities which are heavy emitters and, among other things, are unable to fully pass on their carbon costs by increasing prices. Under the scheme proposed by the green paper, these entities would be entitled to financial assistance.
“However, the green paper also acknowledges that the demand for electricity is relatively inelastic,” said the submission, meaning consumers will pay whatever price is needed for electricity. This suggests increased generation costs could be passed on to the consumer and that coal-fired powerstations should not be classified as a strongly affected industry.
The submission also criticised the lack of discussion over poor investment in electricity generation capacity and the growth of energy demand which will continue regardless of whether the scheme is implemented or not.
If the scheme is introduced in 2010 as planned, the average ages of Australia’s coal-fired generation by that time will be nearly 26 years old, according to the submission.
“Electricity generation assets are long-lived but they do not last forever. Engineers Australia does not accept that providing one-off up front assistance to coal-fired generators in the context of the CPRS will change this preexisting situation,” it said.
The submission also criticised the revenue-based method used to measure emissions intensity in the green paper. Engineers Australia prefers a value-added method, which is more consistent with accepted business practices and is widely used to compare the emissions intensity of different countries.
A pdf of the full submission can be downloaded by clicking here.

Young engineers celebrate in record numbers



Instrumental in the organisation of the National Summit were (l-r) Andrew Botros, Anntonette Joseph and Andrew Mackay, Engineers Australia’s manager for marketing services.

With some 300 attendees, the Young Engineers Australia National Summit in Perth this month was the largest ever event organised by Young Engineers Australia.
“I am delighted with the attendance and the enthusiasm of the participating young engineers,” said Anntonette Joseph, chair of the Young Engineers Australia National Committee, which hosted the summit.
Titled “The universal engineer”, the summit was held on 10 September preceding the National Leadership Conference organised by Engineers Australia’s Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management.
“The summit demonstrated the breadth, mindblowing depth and variety of engineering,” said Andrew Botros, the master of ceremonies for the summit, in his closing remarks.
The wide range of engineering represented by the speakers throughout the day included chemical, water, environmental, humanitarian and military engineering.

NSW and WA celebrate engineering excellence

Sinclair Knight Merz has won the overall prize in Engineers Australia’s WA Engineering Excellence Awards for the Dampier Port Upgrade. The project also won in the Resource Development category.
The awards were presented at a ceremony in Perth last Friday. On the night, retired Water Corporation engineer Jim Brown was recognised as the WA Professional Engineer of the Year.
The state prizes for the NSW Engineering Excellence Awards were also announced last week with Arup picking up the Bradfield Award for best overall project for its National Aquatic Centre in Beijing.
For the personal awards, Prof Hugh Durrant-Whyte, research director at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, won NSW Professional Engineer of the Year; Chris Vonwiller, chief executive officer of Appen, received the award for Entrepreneur of the Year; Abigroup's Scott Powell was the Young Professional Engineer of the Year and the Engineering Student of the Year was Susan Graham.
The Freedom Wheelchair from Lu Papi & Associates won the President’s Award.
For a full list of awards from both states, visit the websites of the Sydney Division or the Western Australian Division.

New engineer in WA Parliament

The newly elected Liberal Party member for Nedlands in Perth, Bill Marmion expects his engineering skills to be “very valuable in policy setting, particularly in Western Australia, which is leading Australia in resources development.
“I am delighted to be able to represent my electorate in the new Western Australian Liberal/National government,” he said.
Taking over the role of parliamentary secretary for transport and disability services, Marmion will be sworn in on Tuesday by WA governor and fellow engineer Dr Ken Michael.
A civil engineer, Marmion graduated from the University of Western Australia and worked for Main Roads at a time when Michael was the Main Roads commissioner. In 1993 he moved to the Ministry of Premier and Cabinet and became the chief of staff for the health minister.
From 1995 to 1997 he was the state government’s representative on international treaties, environment and the constitution, providing advice to the premier for the Council of Australian Governments. He worked in the Premier’s Office until the Liberal Party lost the 2001 election. Since then he has run his own consulting business.
Marmion is married with five children.

Notices

Have a say in where Engineers Australia is going

Members are invited to contribute to the development of the next strategic plan for Engineers Australia (EA). The plan will provide the framework for EA's activities over the period 2010 to 2015.
Planning sessions will be undertaken in Divisions, College Boards, and special interest groups over the next few months.  A final planning forum will be held next July, with the intention of recommending a new plan to Congress in November 2009.
The strategic plan must represent the interests of EA members and the community at large.
For more information, or to submit suggestions or comments, visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/strategicplan2010.

Notice of annual general meeting 2008

The 88th annual general meeting of Engineers Australia will be held in the Members Dining Room 2 of the Old Parliament House in Parkes on 20 November.

Nominations sought for national deputy president

Engineers Australia is calling for nominations for the position of its national deputy president for 2009.
Current national deputy president Peter Godfrey will assume the position of national president at Engineers Australia’s National Congress meeting on 20 November 2008.
Bye-law 32.4.3 requires that the national deputy president shall be an Honorary Fellow or Fellow of Engineers Australia who has served at least one term as a delegate to the National Congress.
Voting for National Deputy President will take place at the National Congress meeting.
Eligible candidates are invited to obtain nomination and submission guideline forms by contacting the executive officer to Council on 02 6270 6509 or emailing executivesupport@engineersaustralia.org.au. Nominations close
on 17 October.

Fee changes from October

Engineers Australia has announced changes to the services and fees for chartered status assessment and membership admission which come into effect 1 October. All prices listed exclude GST.
The fee for a chartered status assessment will increase from $400 to $500. This is the first fee increase since 2001 and reflects increased administration and support costs.
The membership admission fee will increase from $40 to $50. First year graduates are exempt from this fee.
Members seeking readmission after a lapse in membership must pay a readmission fee of $50.
A member seeking chartered status reinstatement after a period of more than six months but less than five years, will require a desktop assessment of competency, equivalent to a CPD audit which will cost $200.
For a full list of conditions, visit the Engineers Australia website.

Nominate inspiring and influential women

Nominations are invited for the next edition of the publication Who’s Who of Australian Women to be released March 2009.
The theme of the edition is “Lessons we learn”. Entrants are encouraged to share their experiences on education and who may have inspired them. The idea behind the publication is to recognise modest, quiet achievers in society alongside more high profile women.
For more information click here.

Regional members needed for survey

Do you live or work in a regional area? Then the Regional Taskforce of Engineers Australia needs your help to complete a short survey.
The group aims to improve access to membership benefits, such as access to CPD and peer support, for members living in a regional area.
Information collected from this survey will assist Engineers Australia in understanding its regional members and improve the planning of CPD activities and other services.
The survey can be taken by clicking here.

Representatives sought for standards reviews

Engineers Australia (EA) is seeking representatives for several Standards Australia Committees. Members interested in participating on the committees can email Nina Lenz for more information.
The committees are:

• AG-008 Gas Distribution
• AG-013 Components used for Gas appliances & equipment
• BD-033 Chemical Admixtures for concrete
• BD-050 Aluminum Structures
• BD-069 Accuracy in Building Construction
• BD-083 Earth Building
• CE-028 Test Pumping Water Wells
• CS-021 Swimming Aids
• EL-006 Industrial Switchgear & Control Gear
• EL-008 Power Transformers
• EL-048 Wind Turbine Systems
• EL-053 Fire Hazard Testing - Electrical Equipment IT - 007 Public Access to IT Equipment
• IT-033 eBusiness Architecture & Data exchange
• ME-002 Gas Cylinders
• ME-016 Unitary Air Conditioners
• ME-018-04 Maintenance of Diesel engine systems for underground coal mines ME-020 Internal Combustion Engines
• ME-024 V-Belt drives
• ME-037 Rolling Bearings
• ME-046 Gas Fuel systems for vehicle engines
• ME-062-11 Air & water handling for power stations
• TX-004 Ropes & Cordage.

Publications

Small-Scale Cogeneration Handbook, 3e

Bernard F. Kolanowski              
$127.27 + GST = $140

Covers: system selection and sizing, permitting requirements, operation and maintenance, financing, technology basics, micro turbines, absorption chillers, distributed generation, and case histories. Read more...



Flood Control and Drainage Engineering, 3e

S.N. Ghosh                              
$152.73 + GST = $168

The book includes design problem-solving and case studies, making it practical and applications-oriented. New material deals with problems of flood forecasting, flood plain prioritization and flood hazard zoning, and engineering measures for flood control. Read more...


J&P Transformer Book, 13e

Martin Heathcote
Usual price $318.18 + GST = $350
Our price: $272.73 + GST = $300

In print for 80 years, the J&P Transformer Book is renowned internationally as the definitive reference work covering the design, construction, installation, monitoring and maintenance of power transformers - in electricity generation and distribution, electricity substations, and industrial applications. Read more...

Calendar

Engineering Education Australia will run the following short courses:

• Design and fabrication of pressure vessels (3 days) Melbourne 6 Oct, Perth 13 Oct
• Managing self and others (2 days) Townsville 7 Oct, Adelaide 16 Oct, Sydney 30 Oct
• Negotiation skills (2 days) Melbourne 7 Oct, Brisbane 21 Oct
• Asset management and maintenance (2 days) Brisbane 8 Oct, Sydney 21 Oct
• Inspection, repairs and alterations of pressure vessels (2 days) Melbourne 9 Oct, Perth 16 Oct
• Contract management (2 days) Brisbane 13 Oct, Perth 20 Oct, Darwin 27 Oct
• Managing cultural differences (1 day) Perth 13 Oct, Brisbane 27 Oct
• Relate to Aussies (1 day) Sydney 14 Oct, Melbourne 20 Oct
• Earthworks (2 days) Melbourne 16 Oct
• Creating and managing networks for successful business relationships (2 days) Sydney 16 Oct, Melbourne 21 Oct
• Project management (2 days) Brisbane 16 Oct, Darwin 30 Oct, Perth 23 Oct

• Launceston 2-3 October
• Melbourne 9-10 October
• Mt Druitt, Sydney 20-21 October
• Brisbane 23-24 October
• Canberra 30-31 October