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Canberra Today 15°/18° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Green energy from garbage

MINISTER for the Environment and Sustainable Development Simon Corbell wants to see Canberra’s garbage turned into green energy.

Simon Corbell with a garbage truck (file image).
Simon Corbell with a garbage truck (file image).
Today Mr Corbell announced the allowance of feed-in-tariff entitlements for up to 23 megawatts of energy to come from a “bioenergy” advanced thermal processing facility, if a company wishes to build one in the ACT or surrounding region by 2020.

The minister said the new policy was to encourage a facility based on gasification, pyrolysis or plasma gasification, which he said were cleaner than conventional combustion and could potentially produce valueable products like biochar and transport fuels.

“A regional materials recovery and bioenergy facility could convert ACT and regional organic waste into renewable electricity, with enough energy to power over 15,000 Canberra households, once the facility is operational,” Mr Corbell said.

“It can also recover high-value plastics and metals that would otherwise end up in landfill. Bioenergy is widely used in northern Europe as a clean, renewable source for producing energy.”

Mr Corbell said only waste products not currently being diverted to another market would be converted to energy, with existing recycling practices “continued and enhanced”.

The model of delivery and the timing of any project will be subject to budget consideration.

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Ian Meikle, editor

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