Lara key to power plan

Electricity for 50,000 homes from waste

AN energy plant that could convert tonnes of household rubbish into enough electricity to power 50,000 homes could be built in Lara by 2025.

Plans for a waste-to-energy plant along McManus Road would divert 300,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year and turn it into electricity.

Residents have received notice of an online community consultation session with developer Prospect Hill International in their letterboxes. According to the notice, seen by the Geelong Advertiser, the project is in its planning and design phase and site investigations are already under way.

The company confirmed it planned to submit applications to both Environmental Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) and City of Greater Geelong “in coming months”.

“The proposed plant will go through a rigorous planning and environmental approval process over the next 18 months and be assessed by both the Victorian Environment Protection Authority and the City of Greater Geelong,” the letter read.

“We’ll keep you informed throughout, including opportunities to participate.”

A timeline provided by the company aimed to have design and approvals finished by 2021, with construction kicking off in 2022. It’s estimated that 250-300 jobs will be created for the construction phase.

Prospect Hill International president Ken Smith said the company was “excited” to be developing the project locally.

“Modern energy from waste plants like this one are specifically designed with best practice operating systems which limit their impact on local communities,” he said.

“This project will contribute to the Lara community by creating hundreds of jobs during the construction of the plant and around 30 ongoing roles during its operation.”

While the company was formally registered last year, it’s understood that all parties in partnership have “considerable experience” with similar projects around the world.

Similar projects aiming to turn hard rubbish into energy have been proposed in Craigieburn and Laverton in suburban Melbourne, as well as regional areas like the La Trobe Valley and in central Queensland.

Lara resident Marco Ojeda – who had a letter and a brochure dropped through his mailbox last week – urged residents to attend the online community consultation on July 28.

“These companies need to be completely transparent in their processes to convince neighbours to agree to this. We just want to make sure we’re getting the best thing for our community,” he said.

The online community consultation session will take place on Tuesday, July 28, at 7.30pm.

The broadcast can be accessed at prospecthill.com.au/