Te Awamutu waste-to-energy plant proposal receives record number of submissions

Protestors of the proposed incinerator in Te Awamutu. Photo / Julia McCarthy-Fox

The controversial waste-to-energy plant proposal in Te Awamutu has proven to be a burning issue for the community as the Waipā District Council reports a record number of submissions on the proposal.

The council says it received close to 900 submissions, the biggest number it has ever received in response to any resource consent application.

Submissions closed on Friday and are still being processed, but the council says of those processed so far, the vast majority oppose the plant.

The application to build the plant at 401 Racecourse Rd, Te Awamutu, between the racecourse and the Fonterra effluent ponds, was filed in August by Hamilton-based company Global Contracting Solutions.

If the application is successful, the plant, called Paewira, would burn 150,000 tonnes of waste annually, sourced from councils across the wider Waikato region, and generate 15MW of electricity, enough to provide for about 14,000 average households.

Waipā District Council’s district growth and regulatory services group manager Wayne Allan said by law, the council could not just say yes or no to the proposal.

A concept drawing of what the planned waste-to-energy plant in Te Awamutu could look like. Image / Supplied

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Under the Resource Management Act [RMA], we have a legal obligation to process any resource consent application if it meets certain minimum requirements.”

Global Contracting Solutions is also seeking a resource consent from the Waikato Regional Council, so the regional council and the Waipā District Council will assess the applications via a joint hearing.

The two councils are already in the process of appointing a joint panel of independent hearing commissioners to consider public submissions and make a decision on whether or not the plant can go ahead.

Local councillors won’t be directly involved in the decision-making.

The resource consent hearing is unlikely to be held before next year.

Allan said he anticipated that all submissions would be on the council’s website by the end of this week. Details of the resource consent application are available on the council’s website.

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