Australia’s first Energy from Waste facility is taking shape in Perth, a significant national milestone for technology-driven waste processing and green energy generation.
The Avertas Energy facility in the Kwinana Industrial Area is set to process 460,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste under an agreement with at least eight Local Governments in the region. It will generate 38MW of electricity – enough to power about 52,000 households.
The technology is well-established internationally, and local governments in Australia are becoming increasingly interested and knowledgeable in the science. Energy from Waste is part of the waste hierarchy, and – in conjunction with avoidance and reduction, reuse and recycling – supports government targets to divert waste from landfill and work towards carbon neutrality.
Since the project started construction in November 2018, the major foundations and civil components have been completed and work on the mechanical erection of the boiler steelwork is well advanced. We are now at the critical milestone of installing the combustion grates for the two boiler lines.
These are integral to the overall boiler assembly and are a part of the sophisticated technology supplied by Keppel Seghers that is designed as an integrated system to ensure complete combustion and the capture and treatment of emissions.
The remainder of the boiler vessel components will be arriving over the coming months, with the commissioning of the facility expected to begin in mid-2021.
Avertas Energy has published two fact sheets and a Frequently Asked Questions document to ensure stakeholders, councillors and the community have a deep understanding of the impact the facility will have on carbon emissions, on air quality, and waste reduction.
Avertas Energy chief executive Frank Smith said community interest in the science behind energy-from-waste was high, driven by greater awareness of how their power is generated and how their waste is managed, as part of a managing their overall environmental footprint.
Mr Smith said: “This project is a significant opportunity to reduce pressure on landfill capacity in Western Australia whilst also creating a new and reliable source of green power.”
“Avertas Energy is located in an industrial area where the community is understandably conscious of air quality. Our modelling indicates that Avertas Energy’s emissions will contribute less than 3.7 per cent of any compound measured independently, and in most cases will have an impact too small to be measured.”
The limits that apply to Avertas Energy are the European Union Industrial Emissions Directive, which apply to about 450 Energy-from-Waste facilities in Europe and the UK, some of which are located within residential suburbs and close to homes.
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