Australia’s first waste to energy plant set to open in WA

The development of an Australian designed, grid-connected project that will convert waste into electricity in the WA town of Port Hedland, is nearing completion.

The 17MW project – one of two Australian designed waste-to-gas facilities being developed in Western Australia by local company New Energy Corporation – will divert around 100,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, and convert it into renewable energy.

At full capacity, the Port Hedland plant is expected to be able to produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 21,000 homes in the Pilbara.

The project’s completion will also mark an Australian first.

Unlike other developed countries, Australia has been slow to embrace waste-to-gas technology. The ACT operates a 3MW facility that generates electricity from landfill gas, and is looking to offer feed-in tariffs for up to 23MW of waste-to-energy power plants as part of its plans to source 90 per cent of its electricity needs from renewables by 2020.

The two WA projects, both in advanced stages of development, were backed by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, via a collective $50 million in debt finance. The second project, at Rockingham near Perth, will be the state’s first municipal waste-to-gas project.

The CEFC – which is continuing its work financing innovative Australian low-carbon technologies and projects, despite a series of federal government budget cuts and the Abbott government’s plans to scrap the fund come July – says the $50 million helped catalyse finance for the project, which tackles a complex sustainability challenge.

“Taking waste, which is a cost, and turning it into energy, makes a lot of business sense and represents a big win for the environment,” CEFC CEO Oliver Yates said in statement in June.

“New Energy’s waste-to-gas technology is a world-leading, Australian innovation that has been widely deployed and commercially proven overseas. We can capitalise on our national expertise in this field and make sure it benefits our country: both directly through its application here and through the export New Energy’s has been widely deployed and commercially proven overseas.”

Port Hedland Mayor, Kelly Howlett, was equally enthused about New Energy choosing the Pilbara town as its Australian launch site.

“Converting household and industrial waste to energy to power a town makes a lot of sense and is obviously a big win for the environment,” Howlett said in a media statement on Thursday.

“We’re pleased that New Energy will launch its first waste-to-energy plant in Port Hedland – it will provide a world-class recycling and materials recovery facility which generates cost competitive and low-emission energy using Australian-developed low temperature gasification technology.

Howlett says Port Hedland has agreed to support the development of the project by directing much of the town’s future waste to the plant, including industrial and hazardous waste, household and green waste, tyres, timber and recyclable products.