Geothermal energy industry could create 17,000 Australian jobs: report

BRISBANE, June 11 (Asia Pulse) – More than 17,000 jobs could
be created in Australia’s geothermal energy industry by 2050, a
new report says.

The geothermal industry, which involves extracting heat
stored in the earth to generate power, is growing in Australia
with almost 400 tenements for projects and around $A1.5 billion
(US$1.2 billion) in projects underway.

The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Australian
Geothermal Energy Association (AGEA) on Thursday released a
report, Power to Change: Australia’s Geothermal Future.

Paul Toni from WWF says the report is the first in a series
looking into the potential of geothermal energy.

“The energy stored in hot rocks near the earth’s surface in
Australia is a thousand-fold what we use each and every year,”
Mr Toni said.

“We must reshape our economy and our energy sector if we are
serious about tackling climate change.

“Capable of running 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
geothermal energy is one of the vital clean energy resources
needed to make this transformation.”

He said the Cooper Basin, which overlaps the borders of
Queensland, New South W