Environment Protection Authority Victoria is assessing a development licence application from Yarra Valley Water to build a waste-to-energy facility at the Lilydale Sewage Treatment Plant.
The facility would accept and process about 55,000 tonnes per year of organic waste from the food and beverage sector to generate electricity.
The proposed facility will include a waste receival shed with unloading bays and waste processing machinery. A bund area will contain two anaerobic digester tanks and two processing tanks. Additional plant and equipment will be installed at the site including eight bio-filters for odour treatment; digestate processing equipment; an emergency flare; and a boiler and diesel tank.
The facility will be capable of generating about 13,000 MWh of electrical energy that will be used to supply the operations of the waste-to-energy facility and the treatment plant. Surplus electricity will be exported to the local electricity grid.
Anaerobic digestion also generates a residual organic waste stream called digestate. Digestate will be processed onsite into solid and liquid components. It is expected that 70 per cent of the liquid will be recovered as purified water. The remaining solid and liquid components will be processed for reuse in the composting and agricultural sector.
Public submissions on the proposed Yarra Valley waste-to-energy plant are open until 8 March 2023.
For more information, visit: www.engage.vic.gov.au
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