$120m Green Triangle Pellet Mill development at Mingool going ahead after council signs off on road sale
Construction on a $120m timber recycling mill – one of Australia’s largest – will go ahead after a new company came to an agreement with the local council.
Mount Gambier
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The construction of a $120m pellet manufacturing mill – one of Australia’s largest timber recycling operations – will go ahead in the state’s South-East after the project was shelved last year when the company behind it was placed into administration.
The Green Triangle Pellet Mill, now backed by energy producer Albioma, will be located adjacent to the Mount Gambier Regional Airport at Mingbool.
Under the plan, the company will buy Hutchinson Rd from Grant Council for $28,183.
The $120m renewable energy plant will produce upwards of 300,000 tonnes of industrial specification pellets each year and generate an estimated $64.1m for the local economy. It will be fed FSC/PEFC certified logs and sawmill residues from nearby plantations and sawmills to manufacture its produce.
The development is proposed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week – employing a staff of up to 30 full-time employees with 15 expected to be on-site at a time.
During daylight hours, up to ten B-double trucks are expected to access the site about 8kms north of Mount Gambier every hour – during the night, that number is expected to reduce to about two trucks per hour.
Plans for the development have been in the works since at least 2018.
Altus Renewables initially intended for the South Australian mill to be up and running by late 2024 and had entered into agreements with Grant Council to have the development approved, but in August 2023 Altus was placed into administration and the pellet plant shelved pending the outcome of that process.
In January 2024, Grant Council received advice the company had been purchased by Albioma, which intended to proceed with the project.
In June, the council was provided with the relevant details for the new company, Mount Gambier Biomass and this month approved the sale of Hutchinson Rd.
As part of the development, the intersection between Riddoch Highway, Airport Rd and Hutchinson Rd will require realignment to minimise traffic impact as a result of the increase of trucks at the site.
Acting chief executive of Grant Council, Gary Button, said per a report from 2023, the intersection will be altered from a cross road to two separate T-junctions.
He said council was now waiting to work with the operators in regards to the land acquisition of the road reserve and realignment and that the realignment has had “some involvement” with the Department of Transport.
Mayor Kylie Boston said although the initial pellet project received public backlash, it had since eased off.
Albioma has been contacted for comment.
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