We often don't hear about those Australian companies that have successfully negotiated Licence Agreements with Norwegian companies. But one shining example is that of Australia's Great Southern Technologies (GSWT) and Norways's Energos Technology AS.
Our member, Great Southern Waste Technologies (GSWT), is an Australian company, co-owned and co-founded by its Managing Director, Mr Craig Gilbert and supported by GSWT CFO Mr Bill Keating, who successfully negotiated a Licence Agreement with Norwegian based Waste to Energy (WtE) technology supplier Energos Technology AS, to exclusively deploy this proven technology in Australia.
The Energos patented technology has extensive and well proven history in operations, and most importantly, functions exceptionally well and far below all prescribed limits for emissions under current EU Emissions Directives, those emissions limit’s similarly adopted by Australian Environmental Protection Agencies.
Currently, GSWT has a site nominated in Dandenong Victoria, for the first planned development of the Energos WtE to thermally treat ~ 100,000 tonnes per annum of household/commercial & industrial wastes and is well advanced in various stages of development. And their Dandenong project has now received Planning Approval from Local Council.
Environmental Works Approval from Victoria EPA has been granted, however it remains the subject of a VCAT review, brought about by Local Council. GSWT are confident that the Environmental Approval progressed by the Vic EPA (as issued) was stringently assessed from various but not limited pathways such as Environmental, Science, Chemistry, Emissions & Human Health.
To find out more, take a look at the full copy of the Environmental Approval accessed here as well as the summary document.
Although various concerns have been raised by community groups, as WtE is generally a new concept in Australia, it is not an incinerator, but rather a two stage gasification process.
Craig and his team are making sure that extensive Stakeholder and Community engagement are ongoing and will continue.
Waste to Energy must principally align with Victoria’s Circular Economy Policy objectives, and as such, does not seek or desire, to undermine Recycling practices. WtE, quite simply, is a finishing process to deal in a more environmentally effective manner with residual wastes from households and specific industries, to extract the embedded energy that would be otherwise entombed if not lost in landfill forever.
The centralized model contemplated, allows for a “region” to manage its own wastes, and not rely on heavy vehicle transport crisscrossing one side of the metropolis to the other, as landfill in the South East of Melbourne, will likely be redundant by 2025/6, meaning a proportion of waste from the south east, will likely need to be transported to landfills in the west or north.
The Dandenong project has capacity to generate electricity to power equivalent of around 7000 homes, and provide a net GHG benefit around 142,800 t CO2e.
GSWT is also now advancing its focus on residual wastes from Resource Recovery and Recycling streams, as there will always be a residual, and WtE can deal with this residual. Waste to Product is also being looked at and how this can invigorate the manufacturing industry to develop useable products for markets and industry.
Further links and videos of interest:
About Craig Gilbert:
- Commercial & Industrial Property Development
- Manager for Project delivery from greenfield to finished product
- Expanded into Civil Project Construction and land remediation
- Commenced looking at environmentally alternative solutions to Waste (generally) in 2014
- Currently driving the GSWT team for Waste to Energy Project in Dandenong
- Vision to look for solutions to align with Circular Economy outcomes and how this can integrate to assist in invigorating Manufacturing in Victoria/Australia.
Stay tuned for further updates from Craig and his team as this innovative waste project gathers momentum and traction.
