A new energy from waste project in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley region has received funding from the state and federal government.
News Corp reports Australian Paper has been given $5 million for a feasibility study into a proposed $600 million energy project at its Maryvale mill.
If deemed feasible, the facility would take 650,000 tonnes of waste from Gippsland and southeastern Melbourne and turn it into base load power to run the mill.
“Generating energy from municipal waste at Maryvale would help address southeast Melbourne’s long-term landfill issues, and also create valuable new construction and manufacturing jobs in the Latrobe Valley,” Australian Paper chief operating officer Peter Williams told News Corp.
“This project would be a major boost for regional paper manufacturing and we are excited to be investigating this important opportunity.”
Australian Paper the building of the facility would create about 800 jobs, providing 46 full-time jobs.
The project is also anticipated to save about 500,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually at the Maryvale paper mill.