Questions and answers

Location

+ Why is the plant to be located in Waimate, compared with the outskirts of Christchurch as the largest population centre?

The Glenavy site we've chosen is centrally located between the South Island’s main waste sources and with Timaru and Oamaru close by, it's a good location to serve those urban centres.

Importantly, the site is also close to major rail, state highway and electricity infrastructure. The plant will generate around 30MW of electricity, which will be fed into the Alpine Energy network that serves the area. Not only will this support future load increases on the Alpine Energy network, but it will also improve electricity supply to local homes and businesses.

+ Can you guarantee there will be no danger of adverse weather or natural events, such as flooding or earthquakes, causing considerable damage and leaking of its contents into the local environment?

The plant will be designed and built to comply with New Zealand’s earthquake regulations for facilities that are considered critical infrastructure.

The plant will be constructed to sit above the one in 500 year flood plain level. This ensures the plant will be safe against climatic events, such as Cyclone Gabrielle and other rain events, which caused devastating flooding damage in New Zealand in early 2023.

+ With the delivery of so much waste to the plant every day, will it be like living next to a landfill or tip with waiting rubbish for processing?

No. As an Energy-from-Waste plant, all activity is locked away in the core of the building. Odorous air is drawn into the furnace where any odours are destroyed. There is no detectable smell, and visible emissions will only be condensed water vapour. Much of the waste will also be delivered in tight bales – nothing could be more different from the odour and noise of seagulls etc. at traditional rubbish tips.

The overall ‘cleanliness’ of modern Energy-from-Waste facilities has allowed them to actually be placed for some time within European cities such as CopenHill in Copenhagen and three in Paris, including on the River Seine just 1.5km from the Eiffel tower. More information can be viewed here and here. These examples demonstrate the stark difference between an Energy-from-Waste facility and a landfill site.

+ Won’t this plant decrease nearby property values?

It is likely to be the opposite. The energy security provided by these plants tends to attract more businesses that are also looking to reduce their ‘Carbon Footprint,’ creating employment for the area among other local economic benefits. This has been the experience of a number of Scandinavian regional towns, for example, when an Energy-from-Waste plant is built nearby.

Effects on local community

+ Won’t an Energy-from-Waste plant be incongruous with the rural community and its environs?

The facility will be built in a style and function that best fits the local environment and is visually acceptable.

+ If Energy-from-Waste plants are so safe and desirable then why are many in Europe now being closed?

Energy-from-Waste plants are new to Aotearoa New Zealand but original plants in Europe have been operating over several decades. The technology has rapidly developed and currently a number of plants are being wound down due to their age, and that their use of this older technology means such plants are not economically viable to convert to meet the latest European emission targets. Meanwhile, in Europe, landfills are increasingly rare and some countries have even outlawed them altogether.

Air quality

+ By burning waste, won't the plant release vast amounts of pollutants that contaminate the air?

The proposed plant will not take hazardous materials or toxic waste. All air emissions from the plant will meet the strict air quality standards set by the New Zealand Government and regional councils.

The plant will incorporate the best available proven technology, including a seven step flue gas treatment system to ensure that it comfortably meets both New Zealand’s air quality standards and the more stringent European industrial emissions standards. Key emissions monitoring data will be publicly available online and in real time.

An independent expert assessment of potential risk to human health concluded that with respect to inhalation exposures, “all risks to human health are considered negligible for the duration of the proposed plant.”*

*These conclusions will be peer reviewed by Environment Canterbury appointed human health experts as part of the consent assessment process.

The human health independent report can be read here.

+ How will you ensure the emissions data will be available, so these standards can be seen to be met and are within the consented limits?

Project Kea’s Energy-from-Waste data, showing levels of all relevant emissions, will be continuously available online for real time measurement and reporting of all emissions during the energy conversion process.

This will be available to the public, as well as the regulators, to demonstrate the plant’s ongoing operation within consented limits.

Conversely, landfills do not have independent, continuous measurement of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and, in particular, the quantity of fugitive methane escaping into the environment. In addition, any data supporting assumed effectiveness of landfill gas capture systems is often deemed commercially sensitive, therefore not easily transparent to the public.

+ How much less greenhouse gases will the plant produce compared to New Zealand’s landfills?

All existing methods of waste disposal, including recycling and landfill, generate greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed Energy-from-Waste plant will not produce methane and overseas data shows that it will produce less other greenhouse gases than a landfill with the same amount of waste.

We will be undertaking detailed analysis of comparative greenhouse gas emissions in the New Zealand context and include this analysis in our resource consent application.

A detailed analysis of comparative greenhouse gas emissions in the New Zealand context can be found here.

+ How do Energy-from-Waste plants compare in the production of carbon dioxide?

On the basis of the recommended default emissions factor (DFE) provided by the Ministry for the Environment of 1.1 tonne of CO_2e* per tonne of waste, and the Energy-from-Waste CO₂ emissions factor provided by the Danish Energy Agency of 0.198 to 0.407 of tonne of CO_2e per tonne of waste, we can clearly demonstrate that the Project Kea Energy-from-Waste facility will reduce New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The reduction of CO_2e per tonne of waste ranges between 63-82%, depending on the residual waste stream.

At 365,000 tonnes per annum, Project Kea’s Energy-from-Waste facility could reduce CO_2e emissions by around 300,000 tonnes each year.

*CO_2e = carbon dioxide or equivalent

+ Isn’t the plant simply burning waste as an easy option, while still producing carbon dioxide?

We understand this concern comes from those who used to believe burning all waste was an easier alternative to recycling and minimisation. We certainly do not believe this. The plant will process waste that would otherwise be dumped into a landfill (and creating methane greenhouse gases). Energy-from-Waste plants, unlike landfill operations, do not create methane emissions.

The proposed plant will use world-leading and proven Energy-from-Waste technology and New Zealand’s stringent environment management practices.

Air emissions will meet strict air quality standards set by the New Zealand Government and regional councils. There will be no visible air discharges emitted from the plant into the atmosphere other than non-toxic condensing water vapour.

+ Water vapour is now considered one of the most potent greenhouse gases. Won’t this count against the Energy-from-Waste technology that you are proposing with Project Kea?

Increasing levels of water vapour are primarily a consequence of increasing atmospheric temperatures (i.e. increased humidity). This increased humidity is proposed to then contribute to an atmospheric temperature increase further in its own right.

Accordingly, the primary focus should be to reduce the primary greenhouse emissions that cause the temperature increase in the first place.

Methane emitted by landfills is the second largest contributor to global climate change.

+ Disposal of toxic fly-ash is a particular concern for landfills. How will this plant dispose of fly-ash safely and efficiently?

The Energy-from-Waste plant will have provision for the removal and recycling of metals from the bottom ash. The fly-ash will be treated with Plasma thermal technology and the resulting inert ‘glass-like slag’ will be crushed and added to the bottom-ash, for potential use as roading aggregate and for concrete block manufacture.

SIRRL’s joint venture will use the best available Plasma thermal technology, which is proven to safely convert toxic fly-ash into a glass-like substance that can be potentially used as an aggregate in construction and roading.

Through further processing and recycling of the bottom and fly-ash, SIRRL will demonstrate its commitment to supporting the international and New Zealand Government-approved waste hierarchy, and the circular economy.

+ Can you ensure there will be no threat to the environment or to the health of employees or locals by using a Plasma furnace?

Plasma treatment is a proven process where the fly-ash is converted into a molten substance, under the extreme temperatures generated by an electric arc, and then rapidly cooled. This results in the fly-ash becoming an inert, glass-like material, with contaminants bound within and no longer free to enter the environment.

Plasma treatment is currently the best available technology worldwide for disposing of fly-ash, which converts it from a hazardous waste into an inert product suitable for potential use as an aggregate in concrete or road bases.

Emissions from the Plasma furnace are cleaned to remove contaminants, with the resulting discharge meeting both New Zealand and European Union standards.

+ Alternatively, why don’t you just build more modern gas-capturing landfills that are popular in Europe?

Energy-from-Waste plants have double the benefit of removing waste while creating a reliable and constant renewable source of energy. Use of that renewable energy, such as electricity, steam and hot water by local industry, has additional economic spill overs and also has the potential to attract new businesses to the area.

CO₂ emissions and offsets

+ Are there opportunities to offset some or all of CO₂ emissions through forestry (especially investing in native forests) in the South Island?

The beneficial offset we are seeking to achieve is the elimination of the waste going to landfill where it creates significant greenhouse gas and leachate risk. Industry use of the energy from Energy-from-Waste plants, whether electricity or steam, can be used to offset by industries currently using coal-fuelled boilers to generate power.

+ How will transportation emissions be addressed?

Transportation emissions are included as part of the detailed assessment of the CO₂ and greenhouse gas emissions from the facility, available here, and will also be included in our consent application for independent assessment.

+ Will situations arise when it will need to pause processing and be tuned on and off? Will this mean any differences in the quality of emissions?

During start-up, operation and shut down all combustion gas continues to flow through the flue gas treatment system where the gas is cleaned to ensure compliance with air quality standards. The plant will have two separate lines enabling the plant to shut down one line at a time for maintenance, with minimal disruption to operations.

+ What do you say about claims from research in Europe that these plants could be more polluting than coal, emitting toxins such as mercury, lead, nitrogen oxide and more?

There are significant differences between the proposed Project Kea plant, which will use the latest and best available technology, and some of the older plants in Europe. Most of those plants have a 5-step gas flue gas treatment system, whereby the Waimate plant will have a 7-step process.

The Waimate plant will also have a plasma treatment process for fly-ash which makes the toxins inert and then able to be used in construction and roading aggregate. Many Energy-from-Waste plants in Europe that do not have this best available technology, are now upgrading to ensure that health and environmental standards are achieved.

All emissions from the processing of waste in Waimate will meet strict air quality standards set by central government and the regional council. Data showing levels of all relevant emissions will be continuously available online for real-time measurement and reporting of emissions during the energy conversion process. This will be available to the public, as well as the regulators, to demonstrate the plant’s ongoing operation within consented limits.

+ But no visible smoke doesn’t mean no pollution, as there is no clean way of burning anything – whether it’s fossil fuel, rubbish, or wood?

The latest technology and design of the Waimate plant’s furnace and combustion conditions, coupled with the flue gas treatment system and plasma treatment of fly-ash, means that the waste can in fact be safely ‘burnt’ in compliance with the required New Zealand standards for air quality.

+ How does waste produce renewable energy? Renewable rubbish is like ‘renewable coal’, or ‘renewable oil’ - it doesn’t exist?

The renewable energy comes from the combustion of organic material that would otherwise end up in landfill. This organic material is essentially biomass and it is acknowledged as a source of renewable energy. The actual percentage of renewable energy created will be directly related to the percentage of organic material in the overall waste supplied.

Smoke, noise and odour

+ Will smoke be visible emitting from the plant and will the design include chimney stacks?

The facility will feature an exhaust stack. Due to the high level of flue gas treatment, meaning any emission falls well within stringent local and international standards, the only visible discharge will be non-toxic condensing water vapour.

+ What about noise?

Various methods of noise reduction will be employed so that levels at the plant will comply with the noise levels permitted by the consent in a rural environment.

An independent report, available here, has been prepared on this issue and will be put forward as part of the consenting process for assessment.

+ What about odour emissions?

No smell will come from the plant. The hopper that holds the waste material for disposal is well contained in the heart of the building. There will be no smell emitting outside this structure.

The receival hall of the plant (where the delivery vehicle unloads the waste material) and the waste bunker is permanently under negative pressure (vacuum) to ensure all odours remain within the plant footprint. The negative pressure air flow is then drawn back into the furnace, thus incinerating any odour elements.

+ Will you be keeping dangerous goods onsite?

All processing materials and fuel storage meets the standards and regulations under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, known as HSNO. There is no storage of potentially explosive or dangerous materials on the property.

+ Have you briefed the local emergency services and volunteer fire brigade?

Our plant operations will strictly cover all codes, regulations and cover emergency procedures on build and consent. The local emergency services will be fully informed.

+ Will the facility take and process external hazardous waste?

No, the facility will not be processing hazardous or medical waste.

Wastewater

+ How can you be sure that there will be no contaminants going into the local water supply?

The plant will have two separate wastewater treatment systems.

The first is for the treatment of domestic wastewater, such as showers, toilets etc., which will be biologically treated and discharged into consent-approved drip fields and/or used for local irrigation around the facility landscape. This is common, approved best practice for businesses in New Zealand.

The second is for the treatment of industrial wastewater. 100% of all industrial wastewater produced will be treated, impurities removed and safely disposed of through the combustion process. The purified water will be recycled back into the plant for reuse. This is another example of how Project Kea will use the best available technology to minimise any impact on the environment.

+ Once you treat the industrial wastewater what will you do with the contaminants that you extract from the process?

Contaminants removed from the wastewater will be returned into either the combustion or Plasma process. This results in any contaminates being captured within the fly-ash and treated accordingly.

+ Where will the plant access its water supply from?

Local water required will go through the consent process. An application for a water permit from Environment Canterbury (ECan) is the next part of the process for SIRRL and discussions with ECan are already underway. SIRRL is currently putting the application material together for this permit.

Energy production

+ You describe the energy the plant will produce as ‘substantially renewable’, how much is this in actual terms?

Energy-from-Waste technology is one of the most robust and effective alternative energy options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the need for fossil fuel use by traditional power plants. As biomass, all the organic waste is renewabl,e while that which originated from fossil fuels (such as non-recyclable plastics and textiles), is not. For each batch, the percentages will depend upon the waste composition.

However, the industry has developed sophisticated processes to recycle and recover energy from residual (non-recyclable) household waste which would previously have ended up in methane-producing landfill sites.

+ What energy source will the Energy-from-Waste plant use to power itself?

The facility is connected to the local electricity network. This allows electricity to be provided to the facility in order for it to start-up. Then, once started, the plant is self-powered and the power it produces is exported into the local network. After this, any excess power goes into the national grid.

The plant will operate 24/7, 365 days a year, generating 35MW of electricity with a net output of 30MW – with the plant being self-generating once it has been commissioned.

Waste origin

+ Where do you expect the majority of waste you will process to come from?

Waste, minus any recycling, is expected from commercial and domestic waste suppliers, councils, and refuse transfer stations, throughout the South Island. Other non-recyclable waste will come from construction companies and contractors. The plant will not take hazardous materials or toxic waste.

+ How much material do you expect to receive that will still be able to be recycled?

We are very clear that recyclable material must be removed before sending the waste to the plant.

+ Will the Energy-from-Waste plant take toxic waste for disposal?

No. The plant will not process toxic waste.

+ Will you be accepting asbestos material?

No. Asbestos is a hazardous material and should go to an approved facility for disposal.

Asbestos fibres are also very resistant to fire and thus do not burn. If any fibres make it into the flue gas they would not make it through the flue gas cleaning system. They would be captured and removed by the system, and subsequently sent to the Plasma furnace for treatment with the flyash. Here any fibres would end up permanently captured within the vitrified material and thus not released freely into the environment.

+ How will you prevent the risk of fire from baled waste and the risk posed by the disposal of lithium batteries?

As required by regulation, SIRRL has rigorous safety plans for Project Kea. This includes the risk that lithium batteries pose as one potential ignition source and the plant’s storage facility will incorporate appropriate fire sensing and suppression systems approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to deal with a fire event.

Baled construction waste will be stored within a dedicated warehouse, which will be equipped with fire detection systems and active fire suppression systems. Separation distances from other buildings and/or the use of fire rated walls between activities will also be used to ensure any fire event is contained within the warehouse and does not pose a risk of spreading to other areas of the site. In any event, the whole storage facility including the fire detection and suppression systems, segregation measures and accessibility for fire appliances must be approved by FENZ.

Recycling

+ So it's not a replacement for recycling?

Absolutely not. The Energy-from-Waste plant will never compete with recycling, and it must go hand-in-hand with waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. SIRRL will insist that both waste minimisation and recycling steps be taken before waste is sent to the plant for processing and conversion to renewable energy.

+ Is it true that countries that encourage waste disposal using Energy-from-Waste have low recycling rates as a result?

No. Countries with higher recycling rates in Europe are the ones that use Energy-from-Waste plants the most and have lower landfill use. Waste minimisation and recycling should always be the priority and should be a major focus for local councils, along with central legislation that encourages individuals and businesses to recycle.

+ What percentage of waste to do you expect will come from ‘commercial and demolition’ sources?

Approximately 50% of all waste supplied to the plant will be ‘commercial or demolition’.

+ Of the 365,000 tonnes of waste per annum processed, is there a minimum amount of waste that is required daily to keep the plant operating?

The plant consists of two independent energy recovery lines. This fact, coupled with the ability of each line to individually slow-down, gives the facility significant flexibility to be able to operate with reduced waste volumes should the need arise.

+ Given an objective of the plant is to progressively reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste produced, what happens if you can’t source that much non-recyclable material?

Even with increased efforts of recycling and waste reduction, the volume of waste still going to landfill is forecast by New Zealand’s Climate Change Commission to continue to well exceed the capacity of the Energy-from-Waste facility in the South Island.

+ How do you intend to guarantee that only ‘non-recyclable’ material will be used?

Responsibility for waste minimisation efforts as well as reuse and recycling will continue to be with the transfer stations that will supply waste to the plant. Part of our agreements with them will be that they continue to adhere to these initiatives as part of New Zealand Government’s support for the internationally-accepted Waste Hierarchy.

+ How will you monitor and enforce this?

Monitoring of all waste supplied to the Energy-from-Waste plant and adherence to New Zealand’s Waste Hierarchy will be part of SIRRL‘s strict performance contracts with waste suppliers.

+ These plants are hungry beasts – surely, they incentivise waste production?

We believe that an Energy-from-Waste facility forms part of the overall New Zealand waste solution, coupled with other initiatives such as waste minimisation and increased recycling. As part of a modern and holistic waste solution, Energy-from-Waste facilities do not incentivise waste production. There is also Northern European experience demonstrating this.

+ Project Kea and its business model seem to be directly against zero waste initiatives. In fact, don’t you make your money by more people producing waste?

Our philosophy is clear – waste minimisation and recycling should always be the priority. Ultimately, zero waste, and concerted efforts to achieve this are exactly what our nation should be striving towards. However, internationally most European countries, who are significantly ahead of Aotearoa New Zealand with their waste minimisation and recycling efforts, are yet to achieve this vision and consequently they use Energy-from-Waste technology to complement these efforts instead of sending residual waste to landfills. As a consequence, landfills have now been banned in many of these countries.

Meanwhile, in Aotearoa New Zealand, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste are still being produced every year, in addition to the huge amounts of waste already in overflowing landfills. This is why SIRRL’s safe and proven Energy-from-Waste technology will provide a suitable and beneficial solution for our current waste crisis, while Aotearoa New Zealanders strive to improve our waste minimisation and recycling efforts.

Waste supply and industry

+ How do you know that you will receive enough waste to keep operating?

The report, Climate Change Commission Advice to Government, in May 2021 shows that even after following their advice, the amount of organic waste predicted to be going to landfills in 2035 exceeds 3,000,000 tonnes per annum.

With approximately 25% of the population of Aotearoa living in the South Island, this equates to 750,000 tonnes per annum still going to South Island landfills, far exceeding the 365,000 tonnes per annum proposed as part of Project Kea. The facility will convert this organic waste, known as biomass, combined with construction and demolition waste, into renewable energy.

The Government will be increasing landfill levies from the current $10 to $60 per tonne by 2024 and further increases are suggested beyond that date. Declines in waste are also a result of better consumables packaging and improved recycling. These initiatives are greatly supported by SIRRL.

+ Surely the plant will favour waste that produces the most energy when burned that is recyclable and easiest to source like paper and plastic?

It would not be economical to build a plant reliant on burning plastics, cardboard or paper to create more energy as best-practice recycling dramatically reduces the availability of those sources of energy.

Proven Energy-from-Waste technology, as will be used in the Project kea plant, has developed better methods of combustion to increase the energy from non-recyclable waste destined for methane-producing landfills.

Paper from waste has a relatively low energy value due to the waste being mixed with moisture laden waste products. The main source of plastics and cardboard is in the packaging of products. Within Europe, more countries have adopted policies that encourage alternative packaging to avoid non-recyclable plastic. As a result, companies such as Coca Cola are adopting either new forms of biodegradable or fully recyclable plastic packagaing.

SIRRL subscribes to the circular economy for Aotearoa and will insist on the removal of recyclables before waste is delivered to the Project Kea Energy-from-Waste plant. With European countries having refined their waste minimisation and management practises for the last 30 years, a recent study concluded that those countries who recycle the most of their waste are the largest users of Energy-from-Waste technology. Read more about this here.

+ Aren’t Energy-from-Waste technologies known to destroy innovation in the waste sector, such as combining plastics with asphalt to make roads last longer and creating fence posts from non-toxic waste materials?

No. Energy-from-Waste plants encourage innovative industry and opportunities while also helping to mitigate the causes of climate change.

These include carbon dioxide transfer for use in horticulture such as in greenhouse food production; assisting in the production of hydrogen by having available energy to enable an electrolysis plant to be operated; enabling water recycling technology; ensuring minimum impact upon the environment; plasma treatments to capture toxic fly-ash; and, after bottom ash has been filtered and any remaining metal extracted for recycling, the Plasma-treated fly and bottom ash can be used for roading base aggregate and concrete block manufacture.

+ Don’t such plants reduce jobs? There are estimates that every job created in the incineration industry removes many more in landfill, recycling and reuse industries?

The Project Kea Energy-from-Waste plant is expected to initially provide work for 300 people while being built, and once the plant is operating, more than 100 direct and indirect roles will be created at various levels of management and skill levels.

Businesses, new and established, which require higher and secure local energy supply, are also expected to be attracted by Project Kea and create further employment opportunities.

+ These types of Energy-from-Waste facilities go against the circular economy, which tries to keep goods in circulation. Instead, don’t these plants perpetuate our current make-use-dispose mentality?

No. SIRRL is an avid supporter of the circular economy for Aotearoa and especially the need for thorough removal of recyclable material before the remainder of waste is sent for Energy-from-Waste processing.

The urgent issue is that Aotearoa has a landfill crisis with many at risk from methane emissions, toxic liquid leaching into our waterways, increasing extreme weather events and coastal erosion. The consequences of recent environmental disasters, including the widespread contamination following the collapse of the Fox River landfill, are stark evidence of this.

Information on the perilous state of many of the nation’s landfills can be read here. Project Kea’s proven Energy-from-Waste technology also reduces the production of harmful greenhouse gases, particularly methane, created by landfills.

+ Energy-from-Waste plants seem to only make marginal sense in economies that produce coal-fired electricity – and then only as temporary measures until cleaner energy is available?

Project Kea will produce renewable energy from biomass (organic waste) – the proportion depending on the waste being processed. Energy-from-Waste technology creates energy in many forms, the most common being electricity, steam, and hot water.

This energy can be used as an alternative to coal to meet a company's manufacturing requirements. In Europe, an increasing number of businesses are building new facilities near Energy-from-Waste plants to take advantage of the energy available.

+ But burning waste and contaminated plastics creates a greater environmental impact than burning the equivalent oil they are made from?

Project Kea will use the latest proven Energy-from-Waste technology to remove contaminants from plant emissions, therefore reducing the effects on the environment. This is coupled with continuous monitoring of flue gas composition to ensure that regulatory requirements for air discharge quality are consistently met.

+ Will there be a similar risk of methane fires with Energy-from-Waste plants, such as the Pigeon Valley Fire that burned for days in Nelson in 2019??

Landfills generate methane due to the breakdown of buried biogenic material. This process of methane generation continues for decades and is a significant contributor to the risk of landfill fires. Conversely, Energy-from-Waste facilities extract energy from the biogenic material through controlled and complete combustion and therefore no methane is generated. Accordingly, Energy-from-Waste facilities do not have the risk of uncontrolled methane fires that exist with landfills.

+ What happens if a household lithium (Li) ion battery is in the waste sent to the plant? Don’t these have the potential to start fires?

Incorrectly discarded Li batteries are increasingly becoming the cause of unexpected landfill fires and, coupled with the methane generation of the landfill, can cause a significant and prolonged fire. The risk of an Li battery causing a similar fire at the Energy-from-Waste plant is extremely low because the waste is delivered directly into a contained concrete waste bunker within the facility, which also has a permanent and dedicated water deluge system for the purposes of extinguishing any ignition source that may occur. Once fed into the furnace, the Li battery would essentially burn safely within the controlled furnace environment. The plant will not accept automotive batteries.

Traffic and transport

+ What about vehicle traffic movements to and from the site and the effect on locals?

There would be approximately 70 truck movements per day, via State Highway 1, and not through the Waimate township.

The intent is to migrate a significant amount of the waste from truck to travel by rail over the medium term. The actual timeline for this and other details are currently subject to KiwiRail discussions.

+ How much greenhouse gases will be produced from the facility and from transporting the waste to it?

A detailed assessment of the carbon dioxide CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions from the facility can be found in the expert independent reports available here.

+ What about the danger to traffic with the additional trucks bringing waste to the plant on the main highway?

State Highway 1 (SH1) is the main arterial route for the transport of goods and traffic by road. Accordingly, we will be looking to utilise SH1 as the main road transport corridor and minimise the traffic movements on rural roads where possible.

Going forward, the intention is to transfer 50% of the waste volume from road onto rail as soon as is practicable.

Traffic movements are also part of the resource consent process and can be read in the detailed independent report available here.

+ Despite your aim for 50% of vehicle movements eventually being replaced with rail transportation, isn't it still going to create CO₂ emissions and wear and tear on our roads

Today, many trucks and other vehicles are already transporting waste up and down SH1, but to local methane-emitting landfills.

In addition to railway negotiations, it is a fact that electric vehicles, including trucks and utes, are becoming increasingly common on local roads. A number of private initiatives, supported by both sides of the House, are working on hydrogen fuel to eventually replace diesel-powered vehicles in the near future. In addition, an Energy-from-Waste plant will also mean less vehicle movements to landfills.

Local economic impact

+ How real are the economic benefits for the community if the plant goes ahead?

Independent economists, Infometrics, looked at how the proposed Energy-from-Waste facility may benefit the local economy, both through the construction stage and ongoing operation, covering the Waimate District economy and the Waitaki and Timaru districts.

The construction expenditure of $242 million will involve 359 workers annually over the two-year construction period. The building phase will add an annual $93.9 million to the local GDP. Meanwhile, operation of the facility is expected to result in expenditure of $39.3 million per year and will result in 165 jobs, 100 of those at the plant itself.

This employment will also boost population and many local service industries, while increases in household incomes will further raise demand for industries like retail, administrative, food and other services.

Overall, the operation of the plant is expected to add $77.3 million to GDP per year to the district, of which $48m is expected to benefit Waimate, making Energy-from-Waste the town’s third largest industry and ranking ahead of dairy product manufacturing.

The full Infometrics report can be read here.

+ How much will it cost to build?

The plant will cost $350 million to build.

+ What employment opportunities will be available?

There will be a highly specialised build of the facility, including landscaping around it. The primary company will need to use local contractors and sub-contractors where possible, and source from local suppliers where products are available.

Work for up to 359 people is expected in this build phase, and once the plant is built, more than 165 direct and indirect roles will be created at various levels of management and skill levels, 100 within the plant itself.

+ What will be the actual energy outputs for the region?

The Energy-from-Waste facility will produce approximately 30MW of electricity to the local network or, alternatively, a combination of electricity plus heat (steam) to local industry dependent on the demand. Any electricity not consumed in the local network will be supplied to the national grid.

+ Will there be opportunities for local businesses and specific wider industry?

As well as the provision of electricity supply, SIRRL is keen to hear from businesses interested in horticulture, concrete block manufacture, container port, transport, and similar industries, along with any company or venture where proven Energy-from-Waste technology can benefit their business. Most plants develop 'business clusters’ around them to utilise the many outputs created. There will also be numerous housing and service-related business opportunities created for the local economy.

+ Is Waimate going to be a guinea pig for this technology?

Not at all. There are more than 2,500 Energy-from-Waste plants operating worldwide, with Europe the leaders in using Energy-from-Waste technology. This facility will utilise the best available and proven technology, which has evolved and improved over the past 25 to 30 years in Europe.

Most European countries are committed to using Energy-from-Waste plants as a viable and environmentally safe alternative to landfills. Scandinavian countries and Switzerland no longer permit landfill use and are currently mining redundant landfills to remove the environmental danger of ongoing emissions and leachates. The waste from the mined landfills is then processed and energy extracted.

The use of Energy-from-Waste plants has now accelerated worldwide with most northern hemisphere countries including US and Asia also adopting the technology as an alternative to landfills.

In 2019 Australia approved its first Energy-from-Waste plant in Perth, which is now under construction. New South Wales and Victoria proposals for plants are well advanced in the planning stages and final consenting process.

Energy-from-Waste plants have now been recognised by most developed countries as an important step, a viable environmental and economic solution to the landfill issues, and fit perfectly within the standard internationally-accepted waste hierarchy cycle.

Next to its people, land is New Zealand’s most important asset. Why permanently render this land as unusable for future generations by putting more holes in the ground and dumping waste into them, not to mention the environmental risk of disasters such as the West Coast’s Fox River landfill disaster, and contamination from leachates.

Public consenting process

+ How will the public be consulted on this project?

The local Waimate community is the first priority for open and detailed communication from SIRRL.

In addition to our initial information sessions when Project Kea was first proposed, in March 2023 we held a number of public information and Q&A sessions in both Glenavy and Waimate. Consents will be required from both Environment Canterbury and the Waimate District Council, and we asked for this project to be publicly notified.

Following a request from Councils, as well as SIRRL, the Minister for the Environment announced in September 2023 his decision to ‘call in’ our consent application. This means the Environmental Protection Authority will take over management of the applications, and the Environment Court will be the decision-maker on the overall proposal.

Environment Canterbury has also prepared a useful update on the background to the resource consent journey so far and how citizens can make submissions to the Environment Court. This is updated regularly, click here to read the update.

Financing Project Kea

+ How much money will the Waimate community need to pay for this Energy-from-Waste plant?

The plant’s $350m cost will be met by investors and through revenue from both taking waste, and the generation of energy that can provide electricity security and supply for local industry and the community. Economic impact research suggests the plant will assist noticeable growth in the regional economy.

+ Will the rates of Waimate ratepayers go up with this plant in our district?

The expectation is that rates should not change as the direct result of an Energy-from-Waste being built in the Waimate area.

+ Why aren’t you investing $350 million into waste recycling facilities instead of incinerating rubbish?

Aotearoa has a number of recycling plants, this Project Kea investment is in the safe and sustainable disposal of the left-over waste destined for landfill once the recyclable materials have been removed.

+ Given two investors of the SIRRL joint venture are offshore, does this mean the plant will be importing other country’s waste?

No. The 365,000 tonnes of waste per annum will come from the South Island, especially given the plant’s proposed location in South Canterbury near the rail network between Dunedin and Christchurch.