Municipal waste to energy plan seeks funding by Aussie paper giant

Australian paper and packaging giant Visy is reportedly seeking funding to introduce the county's first waste to energy plant for municipal waste that could produce 75 MW of electricity.

The company is said to be seeking finance from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, which manages $3.2 billion on behalf of the government.

According to The Australian, the project will total $300 million, including what could be a $100 million mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility to turn household waste into a refuse derived fuel, referred to as waste pellets in this instance, and then a $200 million plant to process the fuel into 75 MW.

Executive chairman Anthony Pratt reportedly said such a project had not been completed in this way before.

"It is not completely new in the sense it is being done in dribs and drabs around the world. But no one has put it together quite this way before. So it would be a big project of national importance," he was quoted as saying.

It is the handling of municipal solid waste that will be new for Visy in this proposal, with the company already running two waste to energy plants at its manufacturing sites. The first is located in Tumut, New South Wales and the second $50 million energy plant was recently opened in Coolaroo, Victoria.

Both plants operate by turning waste from its manufacturing operations into energy which is used internally to power paper mills.

On Visy's website, Pratt said: "I see clean energy as source of future growth, energy and emissions and a whole new business division for Visy."