Avertas Energy has revealed in a new fact sheet how it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions once production begins.
The complex modelling process shows operations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in WA by between 4 and 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) over the expected 30 years of the energy-from-waste facility.
It is the second fact sheet released by Avertas Energy to educate and inform the community about the impact the facility will have on the community and surrounding environment.
The first fact sheet detailed how more than 99.9 per cent of emissions from the facility would be components of normal air.
Avertas Energy chief executive Frank Smith said the latest fact sheet was another industry “first” as it detailed how the greenhouse gas emission figure was calculated, including all the potential variables.
“It would be very easy to take the most impressive number and put it in a fact sheet, but the reality is that the net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from Avertas Energy operations will fall within a range and we are being totally up-front about that,” Mr Smith said.
The fact sheet explains how Avertas Energy both creates some greenhouse gas emissions by thermally treating waste, and then reduces them in two important ways:
- By diverting waste from landfill, which reduces the amount of methane produced by household waste as it breaks down; and
- By adding electricity into the grid, which reduces the amount of energy that coal power plants need to produce to power WA homes.
“Each year, our operations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 140,000 and 600,000 tonnes of CO2e every year, or the equivalent of taking between 60,000 and 270,000 cars of WA roads.” Mr Smith said.
Mr Smith encouraged all local residents and interested parties to read the document and familiarise themselves with the impact the energy from waste process will have on the WA environment.
The factsheet can be viewed here: Greenhouse gas factsheet