WA leads the way with waste-to-energy plant

For the first time in Western Australia, large quantities of domestic waste could be converted into electricity following approval for the state’s first large-scale, waste-to-energy facility. Waste to energy is the process of converting waste products into a form of energy such as heat, steam or synthetic gas, which can be used directly or further converted into products such as electricity or synthetic fuels.

WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob last week granted final environmental approval for New Energy Corporation’s Boodarie Waste-to-Energy and Materials Recovery Facility, near Port Hedland. Jacob said his decision followed consideration of a report from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and consultation with other decision-making authorities.

The EPA recommended the approval last month, with Chairman Dr Paul Vogel noting that technology components in waste-to-energy proposals must “have a track record in waste treatment and … [be] capable of meeting best practice in emissions standards”.

“The key components of the Boodarie facility are all proven technologies with examples operating elsewhere, allowing the proposal to meet the EPA’s objective for air quality,” Dr Vogel said.

The facility is expected to process up to 255,000 tonnes of waste a year and put 15.5 MW of power back into the grid, potentially powering 21,000 homes. It will incorporate a materials recovery facility to separate out incompatible materials, metals and other recyclables, as well as five gasification modules with a thermal capacity of 18 MW each. Jacob noted that gasification technology has been shown to keep emissions below the European standards.

He said he is confident the existing regulatory regime under the Environmental Protection Act is well equipped to minimise and manage the environmental impact of waste-to-energy plants, stating, “Emission limits and testing frequencies will be set through the works approval and licensing process under Part V of the Environmental Protection Act and the EPA has provided advice to the Department of Environment and Conservation to assist in this.”

As part of the approval, construction must begin within the next five years. The facility could potentially be operational as early as the first half of 2015.

“This is an exciting step forward for waste management in Western Australia,” Jacob said.

“There are no other waste-to-energy plants of this scale currently operating in Australia.

“Waste-to-energy technology has the potential to offer an alternative to landfill with the additional benefit of energy generation.

“This technology has already proven successful in the United States and Japan and a number of European countries over the past decade.”

Both Jacob and Dr Vogel acknowledge that waste management in the Pilbara has struggled to keep pace with the rapid expansion of the mining and oil and gas industries, resulting in significant increases in the amount of waste being received at Pilbara landfills.

“This waste-to-energy facility should significantly improve waste management by diverting waste from unlined landfills, increasing recycling rates, recovering energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Jacob said.