Edinburgh Parks - Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the facility located?
The South Australia State Planning and EPA-approved site for development of the bioenergy facility is at 1-2 Gidgie Court, Edinburgh within the Edinburgh Parks Food Park Industrial Estate. The facility will be able to accept waste streams from businesses located within the Food Park (in addition to waste streams from the region) and supply renewable electricity, gas and heat to those same businesses – recycling waste to produce energy in a closed loop.
The project will also explore options to deliver discounted electricity, heat and natural gas to the Edinburgh Parks Food Park.
When is the plant expected to be operational?
The bioenergy facility is expected to be operational by March 2021.
What kind of waste streams will it process?
The facility will accept both liquid and solid organic waste streams (including those which would otherwise go to landfill) from commercial and industrial businesses in the region. The kinds of wastes will meet all the regulatory and licensing approvals for the facility and can be expected to include retail and restaurant food waste (including packaged and contaminated waste) , brewery waste, meat, poultry, egg and dairy processing waste, fruit and vegetable market waste as well as horticultural and agricultural waste streams.
I’d be interested in directing organic waste streams to the facility when it is operational. How can I make contact to explore this?
Our Feedstock Supply page will provide information for organic waste producers.
How much energy will it produce?
The bioenergy facility is designed to deliver:
I’d be interested in being supplied energy from the facility when it is operational. How can I make contact to explore this?
Our Energy Supply page will provide information for potential energy off takers.
Is it good for the environment?
The bioenergy facility is all about recycling organic waste, reducing landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while delivering baseload, dispatchable energy and commercial and economic benefits to the region.
What is the current status of the proposed development?
The bioenergy facility is currently in the pre-construction phase and is supported by the South Australian government by way of catalytic grant funding to help develop the project and loan funding to help build the facility. A site has been acquired and planning and development approval was secured in June 2019.
What technology will the bioenergy plant use?
The facility will use a mature technology called anaerobic digestion, a natural biological process (similar to that in our own digestion systems) which produces clean biogas. The biogas is used to fuel conventional combined heat and power generators and can also be upgraded to mains-grade natural gas for use in the gas network.
The technology has been used in the wastewater treatment industry for centuries, and Europe, United Kingdom and the USA together have thousands of waste to energy plants based on the same technology.
Outside of the waste water treatment industry, Australia already has a number of operating waste to energy plants using anaerobic digestion.
The bioenergy facility is not based on incineration, pyrolysis or thermal processes of any kind.
The South Australia State Planning and EPA-approved site for development of the bioenergy facility is at 1-2 Gidgie Court, Edinburgh within the Edinburgh Parks Food Park Industrial Estate. The facility will be able to accept waste streams from businesses located within the Food Park (in addition to waste streams from the region) and supply renewable electricity, gas and heat to those same businesses – recycling waste to produce energy in a closed loop.
The project will also explore options to deliver discounted electricity, heat and natural gas to the Edinburgh Parks Food Park.
When is the plant expected to be operational?
The bioenergy facility is expected to be operational by March 2021.
What kind of waste streams will it process?
The facility will accept both liquid and solid organic waste streams (including those which would otherwise go to landfill) from commercial and industrial businesses in the region. The kinds of wastes will meet all the regulatory and licensing approvals for the facility and can be expected to include retail and restaurant food waste (including packaged and contaminated waste) , brewery waste, meat, poultry, egg and dairy processing waste, fruit and vegetable market waste as well as horticultural and agricultural waste streams.
I’d be interested in directing organic waste streams to the facility when it is operational. How can I make contact to explore this?
Our Feedstock Supply page will provide information for organic waste producers.
How much energy will it produce?
The bioenergy facility is designed to deliver:
- Up to 71,000 MWh(e) per annum of electricity
- Up to 74,000 MWh(th) per annum of industrial grade heat
- Up to 432,000 GJ per annum of natural gas or
- A combination of these energy outputs
I’d be interested in being supplied energy from the facility when it is operational. How can I make contact to explore this?
Our Energy Supply page will provide information for potential energy off takers.
Is it good for the environment?
The bioenergy facility is all about recycling organic waste, reducing landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions while delivering baseload, dispatchable energy and commercial and economic benefits to the region.
- Diverting organic waste from landfill reduces the release of greenhouse gases, particularly methane.
- Energy produced by the facility from waste is renewable and displaces fossil fuel- generated electricity and gas.
What is the current status of the proposed development?
The bioenergy facility is currently in the pre-construction phase and is supported by the South Australian government by way of catalytic grant funding to help develop the project and loan funding to help build the facility. A site has been acquired and planning and development approval was secured in June 2019.
What technology will the bioenergy plant use?
The facility will use a mature technology called anaerobic digestion, a natural biological process (similar to that in our own digestion systems) which produces clean biogas. The biogas is used to fuel conventional combined heat and power generators and can also be upgraded to mains-grade natural gas for use in the gas network.
The technology has been used in the wastewater treatment industry for centuries, and Europe, United Kingdom and the USA together have thousands of waste to energy plants based on the same technology.
Outside of the waste water treatment industry, Australia already has a number of operating waste to energy plants using anaerobic digestion.
The bioenergy facility is not based on incineration, pyrolysis or thermal processes of any kind.