Community feedback is important to us

+ 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.

+ 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.

+ 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.

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

No, the plant will not process toxic waste.

+ Will the facility take and process external hazardous waste?

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

+ 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.

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

The plant’s $350 million 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.

+ 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. However, we have plenty of room in New Zealand for landfills compared to most European countries.

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.

+ 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.

+ 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 independent expert 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 a detailed, independent report is 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.

+ Where will the plant access its water supply from?

The eventual source of water is dependent upon the final location of the facility within the wider Waimate region and this is still to be chosen. However, irrespective of where the plant will be located, the process wastewater will be treated and 100% recycled back into the process for reuse.

+ 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 practice in New Zealand and is used in most businesses and homes.

The second is for the treatment of industrial wastewater. This will undergo stringent treatment to remove contaminants and is then 100% recycled back into the industrial process and never leaves the plant. This is another example of how the plant will use 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.

+ 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.