Renew Energy managing director Paul Taylor is adamant SIRRL won’t import waste. However, in 2018, when Stuff asked why the company was proposing a plant in Westport, Renew Energy’s then-chief executive David McGregor seemed to suggest otherwise, saying: “One of the reasons for Westport was because of the port facilities. We can bring material from the [Pacific] Islands and Australia.”
Furthermore, in November 2018, McGregor briefed Buller councillors on the Westport proposal. In that briefing, McGregor said, “The plant would also help retain Westport Port because some waste would be shipped in.”
In a North & South article, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said, “We would never embark on a plant if we thought that we were likely to have to import waste.”
In September 2021, at the Waimate information sessions held at the Waimate Event Centre, the Waitaki Council solid waste officer asked Taylor if the company would import waste in the event it couldn’t acquire the 365,000 tonnes required each year. Taylor’s reply was, “We haven’t really considered it.”