Waimate

Project Kea’s incineration of waste and energy recovery will demand a significant 2.5 million litres of fresh water consumption each day, 365 days a year, for a staggering 35 years. This equates to a shocking 32 BILLION litres of fresh water being used up.  The plant’s operations will also result in the consumption of large amounts of diesel,  chemicals, additives, and filters, all in an attempt to mitigate the toxic emissions it will produce. All this, for what could be considered a negligible amount of electricity. Despite the company’s name suggesting resource recovery, the reality is far from it. In the case of Project Kea, it’s more about resource destruction than recovery.

The company behind a waste-to-energy plant in Waimate wants to stockpile 45,000 tonnes of baled waste on-site, 100,000 litres of diesel, numerous hazardous substances stored in bulk, and an internal rubbish bunker with a further 7,000-tonne capacity. Just one rogue vape battery and you have a recipe for a huge disaster.South Island Resource Recovery Limited (SIRRL) are a 60% Chinese-owned company. The remaining 40% is owned by NZ company Renew Energy Limited (REL)REL has been responsible for two previous proposals on the West Coast of the South Island. Both of these proposals also included The same Chinese-owned company, China Tianying (CNTY)When mooting the Westport proposal, REL lodged a resource consent application to store 132,000 tonnes of baled waste in Reefton. The stockpiled waste would be used to fuel a waste-to-energy plant. The Reefton residents rallied against the proposal and hired a QC to fight it, with REL subsequently backing down. The residents feared that the company might never gain resource consent for the plant and could walk away, leaving behind a huge pile of rubbish. REL’s History Of Illegally Stockpiling Waste. REL and SIRRL director Paul Taylor sent heads of agreement to the Timaru District Council to attempt to stockpile 50-70,000 bales of waste at the Redruth landfill to fuel the Waimate W-t-E plant.  There have also been several other instances in and around Christchurch where REL and a company called ERP Group illegally stored waste in an attempt to stockpile waste for the proposed Waimate incinerator. This resulted in ERP Group being placed into liquidation and walking away, leaving its landlords with 10,000 tonnes of baled waste. The waste eventually caught fire before being trucked away and landfilled. The cleanup was estimated to cost several million, falling on the landowners.   This highlights two major concerns held by the Reefton residents; The potential for a catastrophic fire is a major concern. SIRRL is proposing to store 45,000 tonnes of waste on-site for Project Kea. Waimate lacks the resources to extinguish a fire of this magnitude. When you factor in the 100,000 litres of Diesel and the substantial quantities of hazardous substances stored on site, the risk of a significant disaster becomes all too real. If the company proceeds with waste stockpiling and the plant is never commissioned or fully completed, or if the company is forced to shut down for any reason, the financial burden of the cleanup will fall on the community. SIRRL’s resource consent application states that REL will be responsible for supplying waste for Project Kea. REL’s history of storing waste illegally in Belfast, North Canterbury, speaks for itself.

Despite assuring the Waimate community that they would not submit a resource consent application until they had addressed residents’ concerns, the company has done just that. The full scope of this company’s plans is now clear. They intend to stockpile vast amounts of waste, build the plant in a flood-prone area, and use a staggering 2.5 million litres of fresh water daily, 365 days a year. They also plan to landfill 100,000 tonnes of toxic ash and have 136 heavy truck and trailer units arriving each day to deposit waste on site. Learn More

“We know waste to energy produces climate impacting greenhouse gases, persistent pollutants that can bio-accumulate in land and marine food chains and can inflict air pollution impacts on local communities.”“The people of Waimate and beyond have a right to all the information to make informed decisions, feedback, and submissions about what is happening in their community.” “If the claim is that this project is using technology other than what is being used in plants currently around the world, we need to see what that is, how it is different, and the evidence that it does what they say it does.”—Juressa Lee, Greenpeace. Earlier this week , The Timaru Herald asked South Island Resource Recovery Ltd (SIRRL) what the feeder fuel would be, where the plant would be located, what the technology would be, whether it was Chinese, and when they would apply for consents.SIRRL director Paul Taylor replied that they were “looking forward to holding further information sessions in the region once we’ve gone through the necessary steps in the resource consent process, and then we can share this with the community”. Read Article

The Kea Conservation Trust has expressed concern over a company’s decision to use Kea branding for its proposed $350 million waste-to-energy plant at Waimate, warning that it could be perceived as cultural appropriation.South Island Resource Recovery Ltd (SIRRL) has named its proposal to build the plant Project Kea using an image of a kea.Trust chair Tamsin Orr-Walker was quick to clarify, “The use of the name and imagery of Kea in the waste-to-energy project, Project Kea, is a decision made by that company and in no way reflects any involvement or association with the Kea Conservation Trust (KCT).” “Kea is a taonga species which are important to Māori and all New Zealanders,” Orr-Walker said. Read More

Yet another mayor lured by the offer of jobs and economic growth. Like Westport and Hokitika before him, Mayor Rowley is seen to put his support behind W-t-E proposal before any real details emerge. When asked for a “supporting statement,” Mayor Rowley obliged. Rowley said it was an exciting proposal which could create many benefits for the district. “This would include new employment opportunities and is yet another example of the district’s appeal to commercial operators. “This initiative has yet to go through the required consenting process, but we know the growth these major enterprises can create – and that’s a big positive for the Waimate District.” These comments came after the Waimate District Council received a pitch from SIRRL director Kevin Stratful on July 27, 2021. In a pitch that one of the councillors in attendance described as that of a used car salesman, the councillor said it was that bad they felt embarrassed for him. At the time, Waimate did not need any further employment opportunities; the district struggled to fill the already available positions. Company request list of “Towns key influencers” SIRRL’s public relations representatives working closely with Waimate Council senior staff asked for and were provided with a list of the “Town’s Key Influencers,” to ensure public support. Was Mayor Rowley using his key role as the council’s public spokesperson in line with the council’s commitment to community engagement or simply providing endorsement for the betterment of the company’s public relations drive? Below, read more about Waimate District Council’s involvement with Project Kea, dating back over a year before the proposal was released to the public. Waimate District Council

Waimate was supposedly chosen as the “perfect” location for a Waste-to-Energy plant. At least two failed previous proposals show this company’s propensity to target small towns. Why chose Waimate? The district landfills approximately 1200 tonnes of waste per year, while SIRRL wants to burn 365,000 tonnes annually. Why should Waimate have to shoulder the burden and resulting fallout from burning almost the entire South Island’s waste?The company tells us that this is a better solution to landfills and that they will recover aggregates from the ash for roading and construction. However, previous proposals have proposed landfilling ash. Company withholding important information? The company has indicated its interest in various sites across the district, but has not yet disclosed specific locations. An OIA request from Waimate District Council reveals that the company has been in discussions with senior council management since June 2020, possibly earlier. This OIA material also references Morven as the chosen location. The community, as stakeholders, has a right to this information. So why is it being kept from us? Recent information-sharing sessions at the Waimate Event Centre provided a concept without detail. Yet, the company has stated they intend to lodge a resource consent within a few months. The Waimate Proposal is not the proponent of this venture’s first rodeo; proposals date back to 2017 in Westport when Buller mayor allegedly signed secret deals with the Chinese W-t-E partner.This pattern of non-disclosure, from Westport to Hokitika and now in Waimate, is cause for suspicion. The company appears to have the details but is choosing to keep them from the public. This lack of transparency is concerning.