Construction is underway on one of Australia’s first thermal waste to energy facilities in Kwinana, Western Australia, which is expected to create more than 800 jobs during construction.
The facility will divert more than 400,000 tonnes of residual waste from landfill each year and use it as fuel to generate enough energy to power more than 50,000 households.
The project, co developed by Macquarie Capital and the Dutch Infrastructure Fund will create 60 positions when fully operational.
Waste will be converted into steam and used to export up to 36 megawatts of electricity into the South West interconnected System, producing less greenhouse gasses than if the waste had been sent to landfill.
Funding for the project is provided by Macquarie Capital, Dutch Infrastructure Fund, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and a range of financial institutions.
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Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said having the country’s first thermal waste to energy facilities in WA demonstrated confidence in the state’s economy and shows it has the capacity to be at the forefront of new technologies for waste management.
“During construction hundreds of local jobs will be created, which will be a huge boost to the local economy and create more opportunities for local workers across a range of trades,” McGowan said.
“This is one of those projects that ticks all the right boxes; it creates jobs for local workers, reduces landfill and generates energy that can be used to power our homes.”
Construction of the facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.