Southeast Melbourne councils behind push for waste-to-energy plant
Homeowners across a large swathe of Melbourne have been promised rate cuts if a bold plan to build Australia’s first waste-to-energy plant at Dandenong gets the green light.
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Households in a large swathe of Melbourne have been promised rate cuts if a bold plan to build Australia’s first waste-to-energy plant at Dandenong gets the green light.
The $110 million Alternative Waste and Resource Recovery facility would be delivered by a Bayside-led cluster of 13 southeast Melbourne councils.
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It’s expected to provide hundreds of new jobs, a reduction in waste costs to households, lower greenhouse emissions and a new energy source for thousands of homes.
It would be up and running by 2022/23.
Central Ward Councillor Rob Grinter said money saved through the facility would eventually be passed onto ratepayers.
“Not only will the facility be great for the environment it will also lower the cost of waste disposal, which will keep rates low,” Cr Grinter said.
“Everyone is very excited about the project because we’re doing something that hasn’t been done in Australia yet.
“The Europeans are leading the world on waste management and we can learn a lot from them.”
Bayside environment, recreation and infrastructure director Steven White, who is one of the project’s leaders, will base the project on a Danish waste-to-energy plant.
It’s understood the Danish plant is the project team’s preferred model.
The Copenhagen facility, which opened in 2017, can treat about 400,000 tonnes of waste annually and supply a minimum of 50,000 households with electricity and 120,000 households with heating.
The project needs support of all 13 councils as their combined waste is needed to make the project viable.
As well as Bayside, Greater Dandenong, Frankston and Monash councils have so far committed.
But all 13 are expected to form the joint venture, which will give each council an ownership share.
Cr Grinter said he was confident the other councils were on board.
“This is a generational project but if we don’t do it now there won’t be a next generation,” he said.
The cost to build the plant would be split between the 13 councils and, if successful, would be replicated in other Melbourne metropolitan regions.
Negotiations between the councils are ongoing and a business case is being finalised.
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