AUSTRALIA | Solar Tower | 500m | PRO

latest news on Australia's 1000m Solar Tower www.enviromission.com.au SOLAR TOWER SITE DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY Meteorological testing to confirm Bureau of Met eorology weather data will commence at the site of EnviroMissionÂ's proposed Solar Tower this month. Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd will commence the installation of site facilities including project offices and operational equipment at the site over January in readiness for MEDCO Pty Ltd who will manage the meteorological testing from February 2005. MEDCOÂ's meteorological testing will provide quantitative data for EnviroMission and Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd to use to support early project findings and confirm existing Bureau of Meteorology weather data in the area and specifically at the site for the worldÂ's first Solar Tower power station in the Wentworth Shire of south west NSW. Testing will involve measurement of ambient temperatures, wind velocity, solar insolation and vertical temperature profiles. EnviroMission Executive Chairman, Roger Davey, advises Â"the commencement of testing by MEDCO with project management by Leighton Contractors is a vital event in the journey to commercialise a Solar Tower in Australia. Â"Several markets poised to develop Solar Towers, primarily China and the USA, closely follow the progress of the Australia project and whilst this meteorological testing is site specific, the information and methodology will be generic to the overall development template. Â"Testing at the site is also intended to further prove and strengthen critical design assumptions within the engineering case where they relate to weather patterns and conditions.Â" This investigation coincides with the assessment of two technologies , previously announced by EnviroMission, for inclusion with the Solar Tower design – it is expected confirmation of the meteorological data will also benefit the evaluation of the technologiesÂ' commercial case. If successfully adapted to the Solar Tower, the technically and commercially proven technologies will substantially increase the efficiency and energy output in the region of 40% compared with original concept design estimates and will vastly reduce the collector zone corresponding in an overall reduction in capital cost. The success of the pre-feasibility stage of the project concluded in February 2004, advanced operations towards detailed financial modeling throughout 2004 that included investigation of enhancements to the Solar Tower design to further increase output and decrease capital cost in order to deliver the strongest commercial model for domestic and global commercialisation. Ian Riley Company Secretary Chief Financial Officer -------------------------------------------------->