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Belfast residents rally against Renew Energy waste storage.

Belfast /

“It smelt like hell. Some of the bales were broken into, and they were going to attract things like vermin,” said a local resident.Residents also shared their frustrations over the “chequered past” of Renew Energy, with Environment Canterbury representatives admitting during the meeting that the company “had changed directors and owners several times.”It was also the company’s third attempt at resource consent after it was previously denied in two other regions. Read More

Belfast residents rally against Renew Energy waste storage. Read More »

Ecan serves Renew Energy Ltd abatement notice to remove unlawfully stored waste.

Belfast /

Environment Canterbury (ECan) confirmed it had issued an abatement notice requiring up to 4000 bales to be stored at Spencerville Rd in Canterbury and removed by February 28, 2020. Their storage had been the subject of a compliance investigation. ERP Group is leasing the Spencerville property. ERP Group owner Michael Corcoran said the bales belonged to Renew Energy and that he baled the waste and sold it to Renew Energy. It is understood that the baled waste will be used as a combustible fuel for a proposed Waste-to-Energy plant. Residents said the stored waste “smelt like Hell, was torn into, and likely to attract vermin.” More on REL and ERP Group

Ecan serves Renew Energy Ltd abatement notice to remove unlawfully stored waste. Read More »

Reefton community hire QC – Renew Energy back down.

Reefton /

On Jan 22, 2019, Renew Energy Limited (REL) lodged a resource consent application with Buller District Council to store 132,000 one-tonne bales of waste on the edge of Reefton township. The waste was to be used to fuel a waste-to-energy plant the company is proposing for Westport.Reefton residents rallied against the proposal. The business group Reefton Inc. employed a queen’s counsel, 253 people attended a protest meeting a few weeks ago, and 500 signed a petition.Now, the QC that Reefton Inc. engaged would carry out one final act: write to the Ministry for the Environment to request a moratorium on all waste-to-energy plants and associated dumps, baling, and storage. Read More

Reefton community hire QC – Renew Energy back down. Read More »

Renew Energy Ltd lodge resource consent to store 132,000 one tonne bales of rubbish on a site in Reefton

Reefton /

Reefton residents are wary of the potential risks associated with a ‘mountain of rubbish’ if a Chinese waste-to-energy plant is granted consent to store bales of rubbish in the West Coast town. Renew Energy Limited filed a resource consent with Buller District Council on Jan 19, 2019, to store 132,000 one-tonne bales on the edge of Reefton. The waste will be used to fuel a waste-to-energy plant proposed for Westport. Residents are increasingly concerned about the company’s uncertain plans. They fear that the company may abandon the waste if it fails to get resource consent to build the plant. As of yet, there is no resource consent application to build the plant, but the company is proceeding with plans to store large amounts of waste regardless, leaving the community in a state of uncertainty and concern.  REL managing director David McGregor briefed the Buller District Council in November 2018, this included plans to import waste from the Pacific Islands and Australia. Read More

Renew Energy Ltd lodge resource consent to store 132,000 one tonne bales of rubbish on a site in Reefton Read More »

Controversial West Coast contractor Kevin Stratful resigns a second time.

Hokitika /

Kevin Stratful was an economic development consultant for Development West Coast (DWC) and the director of Renew Energy Limited (REL), the company behind a controversial waste-to-energy plant proposed for the West Coast. He came under fire for using his work emails to promote the plant and urging West Coast councils to “avoid” responding to requests for official information. In an email chain to West Coast mayors and council chief executives obtained by Stuff, Stratful said all councils and the DWC should have a joint policy on how OIA requests were handled and “what process or policies are put into place to avoid them”. He also said he had previously been given “the chance to edit” responses before they were sent to the media.  Stratful said there had “never been a conflict of interest” and that his latest resignation was “no big deal.” Read More

Controversial West Coast contractor Kevin Stratful resigns a second time. Read More »

The BERL report and REL’s Buller proposal

Uncategorized, Westport /

In July 2019, Nick Robertson and Merewyn Groom completed a report on whether incineration was a waste disposal option for New Zealand. The report acknowledged that the introduction of waste-to-energy (W-t-E) could affect New Zealand’s efforts to move to a circular economy at the time being considered by The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) to transition New Zealand toward reducing waste and associated pollutants, protect and restore natural capital, and help address issues including climate change and water quality.  The report stated, “By creating an alternative to landfills, WtE could affect efforts to reduce the creation of waste, including reuse, recycling, and reprocessing. Despite being promoted by some as renewable energy or recycling, the European Commission has mapped various WtE methods against the waste hierarchy and found that this is not the case.” Read Full Report

The BERL report and REL’s Buller proposal Read More »

W-t-E company moves failed Westport proposal to Hokitika

Hokitika /

Renew Energy independent director Kevin Stratful said the company’s previous partner, China Tianying Inc (CNTY), would no longer be used. Discussions were underway with a new European partner. Stratful told Thursday’s meeting that the Hokitika plant would not use Chinese technology and would not need to stockpile rubbish. The Renew Energy plant was initially mooted for the Buller district but abandoned after it was revealed that Buller mayor Garry Howard had allegedly signed an agreement with a Chinese investor without telling the public or district councillors. New plans for a plant to be built in Hokitika by 2022 were put to a meeting of about 500 Westland residents. Stratful played a lengthy video about a waste-to-energy plant on the Spanish island of Mallorca, which attracts millions of tourists each year. When he described the plant as a new tourist attraction for Westland, there were howls of laughter.    “You guys in Buller are sore about losing the plant,” Stratful replied to a man asking how much carbon the plant would emit.  Tracie Piercy asked where the plant would go, as she was potentially a neighbour and worried it would “destroy” property values in Westland.  Stratful ignored her question and Piercy left the meeting in frustration.  Read More

W-t-E company moves failed Westport proposal to Hokitika Read More »

Company reveals intention to import waste for proposed W-t-E plant

Westport /

Why Westport? Renew Energy managing director David McGregor was recently asked why the proposed W-t-E plant should be built in Westport. McGregor replied, “One of the reasons for Westport was the port facilities. We can bring material from the [Pacific] Islands and Australia.” McGregor also briefed the Buller District Council in November 2018.  In this briefing, McGregor also stated the company’s intention to import waste from the Pacific Islands and Australia. If the company is so sure there are adequate amounts of waste available on the South Island to fuel the waste to the energy plant the company is proposing, then why import waste? Read More

Company reveals intention to import waste for proposed W-t-E plant Read More »

Govt retract Waste to Energy feasibility study funding amid corruption investigation.

Westport /

The government announced hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding for a proposed waste-to-energy scheme two days after experts advised it was a lemon. The Environment Ministry warned the Provincial Growth Fund that the proposed project on the West Coast was unsustainable economically or environmentally. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones placed the proposed scheme on ice in February after RNZ informed him its chief executive, Gerard Gallagher, had been referred to the Serious Fraud Office. The advice obtained under the Official Information Act shows the Environment Ministry warned the scheme had enormous flaws just two days before Mr Jones announced $350,000 for its feasibility study. The experts cautioned that the scheme would undermine other incentives to reduce waste, like recycling, and increase carbon emissions. Mr Jones said he never received the advice, and even if he had, it would have made no difference. Read More

Govt retract Waste to Energy feasibility study funding amid corruption investigation. Read More »

Buller mayor admits overstepping the mark by signing secret deal with Chinese company.

Westport /

Plans to build a controversial waste-to-energy plant on the West Coast have been scrapped.The announcement came after it was revealed that Buller Mayor Garry Howard had signed what appears to be an agreement to give the Westport plant the go-ahead without telling the public or district councillors. This revelation sparked controversy and public outcry, leading to the cancellation of the project. The agreement was between Renew Energy Ltd and Chinese company China Tianying Inc., which Howard signed while visiting China in May 2018. The agreement stated that China Tianying would build a Waste to Energy plant in Westport with resource consent valid for 30 years. The document states that the council will supply water, make a road to the plant, own the land, and lease it back to the company. It also includes costs and fees, which have been redacted. It also says the council will supply a landfill for the ash the plant will produce. Read More

Buller mayor admits overstepping the mark by signing secret deal with Chinese company. Read More »