Food waste to power the Scenic Rim Agricultural Industrial Precinct

One of Australia’s most productive agricultural areas will become home to a new food production and distribution center with a renewable energy facility that will convert food and agricultural waste into green electricity, green gas and biofertilizer.

The Scenic Rim Agricultural Industrial Precinct (SRAIP) has moved a step closer after the Coordinator General recommended it go ahead, subject to conditions.

By expanding the operations of Queensland-owned vegetable growing and marketing company Kalfresh, the district would unlock new market opportunities for local farmers and create new employment opportunities in the Scenic Rim local government area.

Circular economy aspects of the project include redirecting waste from landfills to create electricity and fertilizer and reusing treated industrial wastewater for industrial and agricultural purposes.

Kalfresh expects that the facility could generate the entire power needs of the project, with residual power fed back into the local electricity grid.

The district represents a $291 million investment and will create 641 direct jobs over the ten-year construction period and an additional 475 direct jobs annually during operation.

It is an ambitious project that aims to create an integrated agro-industrial hub in Queensland’s Scenic Rim region and benefit local farmers, said Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace.

“A unique feature of the project is the addition of a facility that converts organic agricultural waste into renewable energy,” said Grace.

“The proposed facility would also provide a new source of fertilizer for the local farming community to use in crop production, adding value to what would normally end up as waste.”

The initial phases of the development include the construction of two vegetable processing facilities, an anaerobic digestion plant, roads and utilities and connections. After this, a composting facility would be developed that could produce up to 50,000 tons of compost per year.

Once fully developed, there is an estimated contribution of more than $140 million to the Scenic Rim economy per year in gross value added.

“Food waste is a huge environmental and economic problem that requires urgent solutions. An astonishing billion tonnes of food are wasted worldwide every year – enough to feed 1.2 billion people,” said Scenic Rim Mayor Cr. Tom Sharp.

“All that wasted food is responsible for as much as eight percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

“As the world grapples with the increasing challenges of food waste and the need for sustainable energy sources, innovative solutions are emerging and here in the Scenic Rim we are doing our part as global citizens.”

Kalfresh Chief Executive Officer Richard Gorman said the Scenic Rim Agricultural Industrial Precinct (SRAIP) includes many firsts, most notably the creation of a renewable energy facility that will convert food and agricultural waste into green power, green gas and biofertilizer.

“The Precinct will provide a home to businesses that add value to the agricultural region’s food and beverage sector, meaning they are more efficient and can compete with foreign imports,” Gorman said.

“This diversification includes farmers entering the green energy industry, to produce a new renewable natural gas from food waste and factories to fuel trucks and buses and power industrial production.

“Our energy model is real and reliable, and we know it works because it already powers heavy vehicles and industry in Europe, Britain and the US.”

Gorman said the Scenic Rim community will be the first in Queensland to be connected 24/7 to basic green energy, generated from food waste and crops grown in local pastures.

For more information visit: www.statements.qld.gov.au

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