BARWON WATER’S POWER PLAN
BARWON WATER’S $80M PLAN TO MAKE ENERGY
BARWON Water is preparing to enter the energy market through a multi-million dollar waste-toenergy project.
The major project is tipped to have a price tag of about $80 million.
The plan would see the water authority take about 70,000 tonnes of ‘high strength organic waste’ from the Australian Lamb Company, Bulla Dairy Foods and AKD Softwoods in Colac each year, and convert it into electricity, gas and water at its nearby treatment plant.
The water, gas and electricity produced will then go back to the three companies, and be used by Barwon Water. It is not clear whether Barwon Water will sell the energy back to the businesses, or use it to cut down on its own operating costs.
The plan would see the water authority take about 70,000 tonnes of ‘high strength organic waste’ ... each year, and convert it into electricity, gas and water at its nearby treatment plant.
BARWON Water is preparing to enter the energy market through a multi-million-dollar waste-to-energy project.
The major project, tipped to have a price tag of about $80 million, has been kick started by $240,000 in funding from the State Government to develop a business case.
The plan would see the water authority take about 70,000 tonnes of “high strength organic waste” from the Australian Lamb Company, Bulla Dairy Foods and AKD Softwoods in Colac each year, and convert it into electricity, gas and water at its nearby treatment plant.
The water, gas and electricity produced would go back to the three companies, and be used by Barwon Water.
It is not clear whether Barwon Water will sell the electricity, gas or water back to the businesses, or use it to cut down on its operating costs.
Managing director Tracey Slatter said the “water energy biogrid” project was only in its early days.
“We’re still very much in the development and early stages of the project, and the next step is to develop up and finalise a business case,” Ms Slatter said.
“That business case will need to examine the financial options and feasibility of the project, the costings of all of this technology, and revenue offsets so we can ascertain whether it stacks up.”
She said it was hoped it would prevent 35,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year, bringing the company close to its zero emissions target.
The project would not go ahead if it was found to affect Barwon Water customers, and would hopefully create jobs in the region, Ms Slatter said.
“We will be quarantining this project, analysing it and, if it stacks up on its own without any effect to our customers and their bills — without any negative effect — then that puts us in a very strong position from a business case point of view.”
“Barwon Water’s commitment is to deliver our water and waste water services in a way that helps our region prosper, so every project we do we’re looking to create both construction jobs and also ongoing jobs.”
An insider told the Geelong Advertiser there were concerns held by some at the company over its entrance into the energy market.
“Barwon Water’s obsessed with saving the planet,” one unhappy insider said. “But its role is to deliver water services, not to provide cheap energy to private companies.”
The project would not be Barwon Water’s first foray into waste-toenergy, with the company already announcing plans to join with the Australian Lamb Company for a trial.
The trial would use a Barton engine — developed in Geelong by Capricorn Power with help from a Federal Government grant — to trial the conversion of organic waste to gas and then electricity.
Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson revealed the trial at the launch of the Barton engine last month.
“Barwon Water in conjunction with Australian Lamb Company is also planning to install the Barton engine in Colac to trial the conversion of ALC’s organic waste to gas and then electricity,” Ms Henderson said.