A German waste-to-energy company has announced plans to build a $400 million energy-from-waste (EFW) facility in Southbank in Queensland.
The proposed plant will convert between 300,000 and 500,000 tonnes of waste per year to generate up to 50 megawatts (MW) of baseload electricity for Queensland households and businesses. The project is forecast to create up to 200 jobs during construction, with close to 70 jobs required for on-going operations.
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Cameron Dick said the facility establishes Queensland as a major player in the waste‑to‑energy market.
“The introduction of our government’s waste levy provides a real incentive for projects like this, building a new industry as an alternative to landfill,” the Minister said.
This announcement follows the commitment of $100 million to the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program, which is a part of the State Government’s waste management strategy.
The Minister said the program aims to make Queensland a world leader in projects involving resource recovery, recycling and the re-manufacturing of materials to turn waste to energy.
Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the 50MW of baseload power the project could generate would be enough to power up to 50,000 homes, equivalent to a city similar in size to Cairns.
“This is an innovative renewable energy project that joins our $4.3 billion pipeline of renewable projects financially committed or underway,” he said.
“Queensland is on target for the Palaszczuk Government’s 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030 target, in our managed transition to a renewable future.”
Subject to receiving all approvals from the government, it is expected the project will commence construction in 2020. If approved, the Swanbank facility will incorporate a variety of proven technologies and processes to meet the strict environmental standards required by Australian licenses’ and approval conditions.
REMONDIS is the second largest operator of energy-from-waste plants in Europe with 52 facilities recovering energy from more than 4.2 million tonnes of waste per annum. The Soutbank facility will add to the company’s already extensive portfolio.