The Victorian EPA has granted a works approval for a waste-to-energy (WtE) plant in Laverton North.
The facility, to be developed by Recovered Energy Australia, will process 200,000 tonnes of source-separated residual municipal solid waste each year.
According to an EPA statement, Recovered Energy Australia propose to deliver approximately 15 mega watts of electricity to the grid annually.
“EPA assessed the proposal against all relevant environmental policies and guidelines and looked at any potential environmental and human health impacts that could result from the facility,” the statement reads.
“The works approval is subject to conditions. These conditions include the requirement for an EPA-appointed auditor to review detailed design, and for further EPA consideration prior to finalising detailed plans.”
Conditions also require the facility to achieve an environmental performance equivalent to European standards.
Recovered Energy Australia has also secured a planning permit from Wyndham City Council to construct and operate the proposed facility, seperate from the EPA works approval.
“Once constructed, Recovered Energy Australia will not be able to operate the waste to energy plant until it obtains an EPA licence,” the statement reads.
Global renewable energy company Masdar has made its first Australian investment, after acquiring a 40 per cent stake in Western Australia’s East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility.
Masdar and Abu Dhabi advisory and development firm Tribe Infrastructure Group have invested in the waste-to-energy project via their Abu Dhabi Global Market-based joint venture holding company, Masdar Tribe Energy Holdings Limited.
Masdar Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said extending Masdar’s reach into Australia is an exciting step forward for the company’s clean energy operations..
“The problem of dealing with everyday waste is a global challenge, with more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste generated each year. To this end, we are proud to be helping the state of Western Australia to deliver clean sources of power generation and sustainably manage its municipal solid waste,” Mr Al Ramahi said.
“The Australian waste-to-energy sector provides excellent commercial potential in the long-term.”
Tribe Infrastructure Group Chief Executive Officer Peter McCreanor said he looks forward to delivering clean energy infrastructure to Australia.
“This is just the first of numerous such development projects we’re working on, and our partnership with Masdar is an integral part of our strategy for Australia,” he said.
“We are proud to have played a leading role in the development and financing of the East Rockingham Recourse Recovery Facility, assembling a world-class team to deliver this important project for Western Australia.”
The $551 million facility reached financial close 23 December 2019 with support from a $18 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and $57.5 million in subordinated debt from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
The facilities development consortium includes Hitachi Zosen INOVA, John Laing Investments and Acciona Concesiones.
When complete, the facility will process 300,000 tonnes of non-recyclable municipal, commercial and industrial waste and up to 30,000 tonnes of biosolids per year.
UNTHA’s waste-to-energy (WtE) specialist Gary Moore is heading to Australia to join the team at FOCUS enviro for AIEN’s Australian Waste to Energy Forum.
The forum, held 19-20 February in Ballarat, will focus on waste hierarchy fundamentals and their applications, as well as waste diversion and the energy supply landscape.
Other key topics include the appropriate use of alternative WtE technologies and the definition of residual materials.
According to a FOCUS enviro statement, Mr Moore will discuss the latest equipment solutions from UNTHA, and present on whether RDF and PEF represent Australia’s future resources.
“With almost 30 years’ experience within the waste and recycling sector, Mr Moore will be drawing upon international examples from the ever-changing landscape to explore what role alternative fuels will play in the country’s future resource strategy, using successful, global WtE projects as reference points for delegates,” the statement reads.
FOCUS enviro will also host a Demo Day showcasing UNTHA shredding technology in Melbourne 20 February.
The consortium developing the East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility has reached financial close on its waste-to-energy project (WtE) in Western Australia.
The consortium is led by Hitachi Zosen Inova, with SUEZ operating as waste management partner under a 20-year contract.
SUEZ Australia & New Zealand CEO Mark Venhoek said the project demonstrates SUEZ’s commitment to develop WtE in Australia.
“WtE is currently the missing link in Australia’s waste management hierarchy and will play a key role as we move towards a circular economy,” Mr Venhoek said.
“The project will significantly accelerate the improvement of waste treatment practices in the Perth region, as well as reducing their environmental footprint.”
As waste management partner, SUEZ will facilitate waste supply via post-recycling residuals, operations and maintenance, power off-take and disposal services for fly ash residue and non-processable waste.
The facility will treat approximately 300,000 tonnes of residual waste from municipal, commercial and industrial sources and generate 29 mega watts of renewable energy each year.
The facility is the first of its kind in Australia to use “waste-arising” contracts, which provide flexibility to councils to help them meet waste reduction targets without overcommitting waste volumes.
Hitachi Zosen Inova Australia Managing Director Marc Stammbach said the facility will use proprietary moving grate combustion technology.
“For Hitachi Zosen Inova this project marks our entry into the Australian market and introduces our world renowned and leading technology to Australia – something we’ve been working on for a long time,” he said.
“For the Perth area this project marks a major step towards sustainability and renewable energy from waste.”
Financing of the $511 million project was supported by an $18 million grant from ARENA.
The Australian Waste to Energy Forum, one of the country’s most comprehensive waste events, returns to the Mercure in Ballarat 18-20 February 2020.
In its fifth consecutive year, the forum aims to provide a platform for all interested parties to discuss developments in Australia’s growing waste-to-energy (WtE) sector.
The program features a range of speakers including Federal Environment Mister Sussan Ley, Blue Environment Director Bill Grant and a keynote from Veolia Kwinana Project Director Toby Terlet.
Mr Terlet’s presentation, Energy Recovery Facilities: What’s not written on the tin, will detail challenges faced by a WtE facility in Tyseley, UK, including major upgrade works at the same time as industrial action, heavy snow and a declining national public sector budget. This presentation will discuss how Veolia worked proactively through the challenges with City of Birmingham to further cement the successful long-standing partnership and resulting in a 5-year contract extension.
Other discussion topics include WtE in a Circular Economy, Anaerobic Digestion, License to operate, current project updates, project development considerations, and future opportunities and developments.
The Forum will provide an opportunity for organisations to gain visibility and exposure in an interactive conference environment, with a number of social events and networking functions.
Early-bird registration is now open, with discounts available until 17 January 2020.
The Australian Waste to Energy Forum returns to the Mercure in Ballarat on 18-20 February 2020.
The Australian Waste to Energy Forum aims to provide a platform for all interested parties to discuss the development of a waste to energy industry within Australia.
Government, industry and individuals will be able to learn, network and discuss issues in an open forum with like-minded and interested companies and individuals.
Veolia Kwinana WtE Project Director Toby Terlet will deliver the keynote address, followed by presentations for Forum Chair Barry Sullivan, City of Ballarat Mayor Ben Taylor, Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley and a host of industry and technology specialists.
Early-bird registration is now open, with discounts available until 17 January 2020.
In a Victorian first, a waste-to-energy facility in Creswick will explore how to inject clear, filtered green gas into the state’s gas network.
Operating since July, the facility will continue its current testing phase through to early 2020.
According to Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, the $1.65 million Hepburn Shire Waste to Energy System will save $280,000 each year by diverting 2000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill.
“The state government invested $650,000 in the facility from the New Energy Jobs Fund, with Hepburn Shire Council delivering the remaining funding,” she said.
“The project is aiming to scale-up production to reduce waste shire-wide, with potential for the system to then be replicated across other Victorian councils.”
Ms D’Ambrosio said the facility transforms organic waste from a local RACV resort into energy, compost and waste water for street planting and dust mitigation.
“A biodigester that turns organic waste into valuable products in Creswick is helping to remove waste from the environment while creating opportunities for new jobs and businesses,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“Projects like these create opportunities for new products and jobs across regional Victoria and mean less waste ends up in landfill.”
The Victorian EPA is assessing a works approval application for a waste to energy facility in Dandenong South.
The proposed facility, to be operated by Great Southern Waste Technologies, seeks to utilise gasification technology to process 100,000 tonnes of municipal solid and commercial and industrial waste each year.
According to an EPA statement, if built, the facility will deliver approximately 7.9 mega watts of electricity to the grid.
“EPA will assess the proposal against all relevant environmental policies and guidelines and look at any potential environmental and human health impacts that could result from the proposed development, including, but not limited to, air emissions, odour, noise, greenhouse gas emissions, wastewater treatment and discharge and reuse of wastewater or residual ash,” the statement reads.
In its works approval application, Great Southern Waste Technologies states that the facility will use proven technology to recover energy and export it into the grid as base load power, available to both commercial and residential customers.
“Utilising this valuable resource through recovery of the energy offers a sustainable improvement to waste management services currently being provided in Dandenong South, whilst reducing the overall greenhouse gas emissions and the potential environmental impacts associated with landfilling,” the application reads.
The Victorian EPA will host a community conference on Recovered Energy Australia’s proposed waste to energy plant in Laverton North.
In June 2019, Recovered Energy Australia submitted a final works approval application to the EPA, as required under section 19B(c) of the Environment Protection Act 1970.
According to an EPA statement, the application proposed developing a waste-to-energy facility with the capacity to process 200,000 tonnes of source separated residual municipal solid waste each year.
“The proposal utilises a modular system of vertical rotary thermal gasifiers, and is classified under legislation as an A08 (waste to energy) and K01 (power station) scheduled premises,” the statement reads.
“Following a public consultation period, EPA received more than 30 submissions on the plan, which proposes to deliver approximately 15 mega watts of electricity to the grid.”
Submissions range from positive, such as support for gasification and renewable power, and negative, such as concerns over waste to energy’s inability to address waste reduction and littering.
“The purpose and agenda of the conference is to enable the EPA to listen to, and better understand, the views and concerns of the community and stakeholders,” the statement reads.
“The community conference, and the independent chair’s report, will form part of EPA’s assessment of the proposal.”
Veolia Australia and New Zealand is drawing on local and international experts in the lead up to its 25-year operations and maintenance contract on Australia’s first thermal waste-to-energy facility.
Waste-to-energy (WtE) in Australia has historically been slow to progress, but Veolia recently set a new precedent for the sector.
Earlier this year, construction began on Australia’s first thermal WtE facility. Based in Kwinana, WA, the site will be operated and maintained (O&M) by Veolia Australia and New Zealand post-construction for 25 years.
Leveraging its experience in operating more than 65 WtE plants across the globe, Veolia stands ready to spearhead efficient, effective and economically viable renewable energy solutions.
Avertas Energy was named the supplier and will process 400,000 tonnes of waste, equivalent to a quarter of Perth’s post-recycling residuals. In addition, Avertas Energy will generate and export 36 megawatts of green electricity to the local grid per year, enough to power more than 50,000 households.
As the preferred supplier of baseload renewable energy, Avertas Energy will also support the green energy needs of the Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA) and its members.
Macquarie Capital and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund (DIF) are co-developing the Kwinana plant, now known as Avertas Energy. Infrastructure company Acciona was appointed to design and construct the facility.
Veolia’s global experience will see it leverage the expertise of international engineers, project and site managers.
Veolia’s Toby Terlet in front of a 25 megawatt generator at its WtE plant in Birmingham, UK.
As the company operates 10 facilities in the UK, these sites served as the perfect methodology to replicate to local conditions.
One of Veolia’s oldest WtE facilities is its Birmingham plant in the UK and it was there that Veolia’s Project Director for Kwinana, Toby Terlet, gained significant experience.
Drawing on previous experience in Australia with Veolia, Toby moved to the UK in 2014.
Toby tells Waste Management Review that around five years ago, thermal treatment was still being discussed in Australia as an emerging technology.
“At the time, I didn’t know much about converting municipal waste into electricity, although I did have some experience with manufacturing waste-derived fuels for cement kilns and clinical incineration,” Toby explains.
Toby saw the UK experience as an eye-opener, with Britain up to 25 years ahead of Australia in WtE.
After Veolia won the O&M contract on the Kwinana project, Toby returned to Australia to a project director role based in the site’s heartland in Perth.
In the lead up to 2021 and over the life of the contract, Veolia’s network of on-call local and international expertise will help anticipate and prevent issues ahead of time.
Toby says that having a general understanding of how WtE facilities operate and the effort needed to maintain a facility will help achieve more than 90 per cent availability.
“The technology works well. However, it’s just as important to have skilled and experienced operations and maintenance teams to run the facilities,” Toby says.
“Education about the treatment of waste can always be improved.Birmingham is a positive example of how recycling, reuse and WtE can coexist. We need to better educate people on where WtE fits and how it provides an alternative to landfill.”
While WtE will continue to be a better option to utilise stored energy than landfilling, Toby says this needs to be complemented with a strong education program.
“I believe the process will slowly shift towards waste being converted to electricity through WtE rather than sitting in a landfill for the next 100 years,” Toby says.
“Segregating waste at the front end will always be the best option, complemented with the most economically viable technology to pull out things which may have been missed. This is the ongoing challenge for Australia.”
His passion for WtE as a viable solution within a waste hierarchy inspires him to break the stigma surrounding it.
“One of the biggest misconceptions around WtE is that it will burn anything. This is what I thought prior to leaving Australia. It didn’t take long to understand that waste is a fuel and needs to be blended to provide the right consistency based on the calorific value (CV).”
Toby says that obtaining the optimum CV will also be an ongoing challenge to work through. Wastes such as MRF residue have a high CV and this can create spikes in the heat transfer lowering throughput, so it’s about finding the right balance.
To make the project economically viable and provide financial close, supply agreements will start at the minimum amount of waste needed.
“The majority of volumes are contracted for a long period of time and some projects opt for smaller agreements to cover any shortage. I think based on a large number of states currently having issues with a reliable source of electricity, green energy production will be high on the agenda.”
While it’s still early days for the project’s construction and planning, piling recently finished with the civil works with concreting now well under way.
Looking to the future, Toby says stakeholders will identify all design improvements throughout the next 12 months to ensure the Kwinana project is the most efficient not only in Australia, but around the globe when handed over in late 2021.
“I’ll be proud to recruit the best O&M team for the project who will have the utmost dedication to safety and a passion to make a difference and spread the positive energy needed to make more of these facilities possible,” Toby says.
“This is just the start of Veolia’s determination to drive the circular economy approach and resource the world by identifying and developing complementary projects to better utilise resources which are currently going to landfill.”
