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REL attempt to secure heads of agreement with Timaru District Council to store waste.

REL managing director Paul Taylor tries to secure a heads-of-agreement between Timaru District Council and baling contractor ERP Group to store 50,000 – 70,000 tonnes of waste at Redruth landfill for the proposed W-t-E incinerator in Waimate. The agreement states, “Renew Energy will be independently responsible for supplying 350,000 tonnes of waste per annum to the plant.”  This agreement shows how Renew Energy will be responsible for supplying the waste and their intention to continue to partner with ERP Group, despite the company’s poor waste management practices, which ultimately resulted in ERP Group owner Michael Corcoran, moving to Australia and leaving his landlords with thousands of tonnes of baled waste, destined for the proposed ‘Project Kea’ incinerator in Waimate. The cleanup of the illegally stored waste Corcoran left behind was reported to cost several million dollars. Read the heads of agreement request and response by Timaru District Council below. Heads of Agreement More on ERP Group and their involvement with REL, below. ERP GROUP

REL attempt to secure heads of agreement with Timaru District Council to store waste. Read More »

SIRRL provide misleading statements in an attempt to shore up waste availability figures.

“There was an estimated 1,800,965 tonnes of waste in the South Island that went to class 1 and 2 landfills and farm dumps in 2021, much of which could have instead gone to an Energy from Waste plant. Project Kea will look to secure approximately 20% (or 365,000 tonnes) of that volume.” – Paul Taylor, SIRRL. Class 2 landfills are used to dispose of construction and demolition fills, a large quantity of which is rubble, providing no calorific value. Farm dumps are essentially private landfills. For SIRRL to gain access to those volumes, the company would need to collect waste from every farm site on South Island, which is not plausible. Claiming 1.8 million tonnes of available waste material in the South Island could be put through a Waste incinerator is misleading. Also, claiming that you require only 20% of that volume distorts the truth even further. For more on SIRRL’s waste projections see below. More on Waste

SIRRL provide misleading statements in an attempt to shore up waste availability figures. Read More »

Waste contractors state they won’t support the W-t-E plant despite SIRRL director’s claims.

“The company has agreements with waste contractors “such as Waste Management, Envirowaste and Ecowaste, but for commercial reasons, we can’t really talk about it.” – Paul Taylor, SIRRL.   However, Waste Management, the country’s largest waste management company, holds contracts for approximately a third of the South Island’s waste. Evan Maehl, its managing director, asserts that the company has no agreements or understanding with SIRRL and would not be a supplier for the proposed waste-to-energy incinerator. Enviro NZ, the country’s second-largest waste management company, formerly known as EnviroWaste, has made its stance clear. It has no agreement or understanding with any proposed waste-to-energy incinerator. Read full North & South article below. N&S Article

Waste contractors state they won’t support the W-t-E plant despite SIRRL director’s claims. Read More »

SIRRL director Paul Taylor denies knowing Chinese government involvement in SIRRL.

In a North & South article titled ‘A Burning Question,’ Reporter George Driver asked SIRRL director Paul Taylor about links between SIRRL and the Chinese government; Taylor said, “They’re a large public company, so I’m not sure whether they’re linked.” China Tianying (CNTY) comprises 41% of South Island Resource Recovery Limited (SIRRL). CNTY also owns EUZY, which owns a further 19% of SIRRL.  This is hard to believe, considering Paul Taylor has been closely involved with CNTY on three previous Waste to Energy proposals. Read full N&S article here Chinese government ownership CECEP Huayu Fund Management Co. Ltd China Asset Management Co. Ltd Combined these two Chinese Government owned companies have a shareholding of over 10% of CNTY. More on CNTY below. CNTY

SIRRL director Paul Taylor denies knowing Chinese government involvement in SIRRL. Read More »

Christchurch landowners left with mountain of rubbish and estimated clean up cost of $3 million – $5 million.

A waste operator who claimed no-one need worry about him going bust has done just that – and left over 10,000 tonnes of illegally stored rubbish for someone else to clean up. Michael Corcoran from ERP Group previously said he was storing the bales, hoping a waste-to-energy plant would get the go-ahead in Waimate. The company had also previously stored waste unlawfully at a location near Belfast on the outskirts of Christchurch; records show that Renew Energy Limited owned the Belfast stored waste, the 40% shareholder of South Island Resource Recovery Limited (SIRRL) Read full article For more on Michael Corcoran and ERP Group see below. ERP GROUP

Christchurch landowners left with mountain of rubbish and estimated clean up cost of $3 million – $5 million. Read More »

“ERP Group had taken on the risk of the project and “it certainly had nothing to do with SIRRL.” – Taylor, SIRRL director.

After baling and storing waste illegally in and around Christchurch, several abatement notices were issued, and ERP Group was eventually placed into liquidation. SIRRL director told N&S that “it certainly had nothing to do with SIRRL.” However, Environment Canterbury documents state that Renew Energy Limited (REL is the 40% NZ shareholder of SIRRL) owned the baled waste and had applied for the resource consent to store the waste near Christchurch. At the same time, ERP Group held the resource consent for the transfer station there. ERP Group owner Michael Corcoran stated that he was baling the waste to fuel a W-t-E proposal in Waimate. Read full N&S Article For more on ERP Group and Renew Energy Limited (REL), see Below ERP Group REL

“ERP Group had taken on the risk of the project and “it certainly had nothing to do with SIRRL.” – Taylor, SIRRL director. Read More »

“We would never embark on a plant if we thought that we were likely to have to import waste.”

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.”   Read more on Taylor and McGregors comments below. Stuff article REL briefing to councillors N&S Article here

“We would never embark on a plant if we thought that we were likely to have to import waste.” Read More »

Councils, Runanga, request ministerial call in of rubbish incinerator proposal.

Environment Canterbury, Waimate District Council and local Runanga request ministerial call-in of Project Kea.Requests were also made by Why Waste Waimate, Zero Waste Network and the Waimate Doctors. In a bizarre turn of events SIRRL also makes a call-in request after contesting councils request.The councils’ request to the Minister was based on the following crucial Resource Management Act criteria: The proposal has aroused widespread public concern or interest regarding itsactual or likely effect on the environment (including the global environment); The proposal involves or is likely to involve a significant use of natural andphysical resources;  The proposal involves or is likely to involve technology, processes or methodsthat are new to New Zealand and that may affect its environment; The proposal is likely to be significant in terms of section 8 of the RMA;  The proposal affects more than one region or district. Read more

Councils, Runanga, request ministerial call in of rubbish incinerator proposal. Read More »

North & South article highlights company’s chequered history.

Failed West Coast proposals, unlawful storage of waste, corruption, and importing waste. Director Paul Taylor claims he doesn’t know when asked about Chinese government involvement in Project Kea, but N&S unravels the truth. In 2016, government agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) contributed $50,000 towards a feasibility study for a plant in Westport — it was never published due to commercial confidentiality. Then, in February 2018, regional economic development minister Shane Jones announced $350,000 of funding for another feasibility study as the government launched its $3 billion Provincial Growth Fund. This funding came despite the MFE advising that the proposal was “highly unlikely to be economically viable” and stating that Waste-to-energy plants tended to require an enormous volume of rubbish to be viable and were typically built near big cities, not in isolated towns with a population of about 4000 people. The MFE advice also said waste-to-energy plants generally reduced recycling rates and threatened new investment in waste-reduction infrastructure and products because burning waste would become an easy alternative. “Although waste-to-energy (incineration) is used in other parts of the world to generate electricity, it is a technology that comes with a range of negative environmental impacts, human health concerns, and high financial costs… even the latest technologies still emit large quantities of greenhouse gases and release a range of harmful pollutants, such as toxic metals and dioxins, that can contaminate our land and water.”   Read full N&S article here

North & South article highlights company’s chequered history. Read More »

Contentious Feilding waste-to-energy plant proposal withdrawn due to “technicalities”.

Zero Waste Network general manager Dorte Wray said members were “absolutely thrilled for the community, for the climate, and for a real zero-waste solution.” This proposal was shocking, as it is a failed technology all over the world. It doesn’t work, and it is incredibly toxic and polluting.” The proposed waste-to-energy pyrolysis facility in Feilding will not proceed after the applicant, Bioplant Manawatū NZ Limited, withdrew its discharge to air resource consent application with Horizons Regional Council. Thanks to the efforts and continued persistence of Ngāti Kauwhata, Feilding Against Incineration community group, and members of the Manawatū community opposing the proposal, a great outcome has been achieved for the community and the environment. Learn more

Contentious Feilding waste-to-energy plant proposal withdrawn due to “technicalities”. Read More »