A bioenergy project for Nowra will put "poo power" and food waste into the electricity network.
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Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor was in the Shoalhaven today [Tuesday, July 27] and visited the site of the Nowra's biogas plant and talked to some local dairy farmers.
He heard how tonnes of food waste will no longer go onto landfill but instead will be used to help make electricity when combined with manure from 19 local dairy farms.
Mr Taylor also announced the second round of funding [$25 million] for 20 similar energy projects across Australia.
He described Nowra's first large-scale waste-to-energy biogas plant as an exciting and innovative project.
"It's focused on providing affordable and reliable energy," the Minister said.
"This is technology - not taxes at work," he added.
"It's practical projects that will bring down the cost of power and bring down emissions at the same time supporting great industries like the dairy industry here in Nowra."
The minister visited the Menzies Farm on Jindy Andy Lane to make the funding announcement.
Mr Taylor said the Nowra project would reduce the cost of energy for the 19 dairy farmers involved.
Some green waste will also be used in the project
Food waste combined with manure increases the amount of gas the operators can get from the process.
It will use 125,000 tonnes of manure from the farms and 30 tonnes of food waste will be added to it
"With the new requirements that will prohibit the use of food waste going to landfill this will be a very beneficial part of what we are doing here," Innovating Energy Director Phil Horan said
The process will produce methane gas which will run large generators which will, in turn, generate electricity.
The plant is located at the end of Terara Road.
Mr Taylor congratulated the Innovating Energy team for putting the project together, while Mr Horan thanked the Federal Government for its support.
"The project has gone from being one farm involved in the project to 19 farms in the area," Mr Horan said
"We now have 19 farmers all working together in a collaborative effort supplying manure.
"We will be getting food waste from the local area as well (club, pubs and hospitals etc] and adding that to the manure and generating electricity.
"We were fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Federal Government which has allowed us to establish the project - it's a significant grant which will allow us to get things going."
Mr Horan said the total cost of the Nowra project was $17 million and will take around 12 to 14 months to become fully operational.