Veolia Grows Australia Biomass Business

French company Veolia said October 22 it has been selected to operate and maintain Australia's first Energy Recovery facility, the Kwinana Project near Perth; the plant will generate 40 MW.  

It will process process 400,000 metric tons/yr of municipal solid waste and start up in 2021, once construction is completed by Spanish partner Acciona. Veolia will perform operations and maintenance services for the Kwinana Project for an initial 25-year term, with an estimated contract value of A$450mn (US$320mn). It is the first waste-to-energy project in Australia to reach financial close.

Phoenix Energy, Macquarie Capital and Dutch firm DIF Infrastructure are the asset's owners that chose Acciona to build the plant and Veolia to operate and maintain it.  

The Kwinana project adds to Veolia’s existing Woodlawn Bioreactor Facility located in New South Wales, which currently manages around 20% of Sydney’s organic waste, capturing methane to generate clean energy for up to 30,000 homes. Further, in Queensland, Veolia’s joint venture, the Ti Tree Bioenergy Facility, creates enough energy to power 2,500 homes annually through the creation of green electricity from methane. Veolia operates 43 waste to energy plants in France, plus others elsewhere; its business also extends into platform and ship decommissioning.