The Australian Government is committing $6.2 million to support new initiatives to turn green waste into energy and fuels.
The Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) is putting up the funding, with $3 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), to facilitate the development of biomass generation and biofuel projects in Australia.
Announcing the initiative, Environment Minister Greg Hunt said: “This initiative will provide a one-stop-shop for bioenergy project developers to find out where untapped biomass resources are located, supporting industry growth and allowing new projects to get off the ground more quickly and easily.
“The project will connect farmers with the renewable energy industry allowing them to work together and find mutually beneficial arrangements.”
As part of the project, a new central national database of biomass resources will also be established to provide reliable information to Australia’s growing bioenergy and biofuel industry.
RIRDC will work with states and territories to collect data on the location, volumes and availability of biomass for inclusion on the ARENA-supported Australian Renewable Energy Mapping Infrastructure (AREMI) platform.
Agriculture and Water Resources Minister Barnaby Joyce commented: “Our agriculture industry produces millions of tonnes of plant waste every year, and this has the potential to be turned into clean power and fuel, while providing an extra revenue source for farmers.”