Prospect Hill International

Prospect Hill International Pty Ltd is planning to construct a state-of-the-art energy from waste plant in Lara, Victoria. The proposed plant will convert residual waste (waste destined for landfill that wouldn’t be recovered by recycling, reuse or waste avoidance) into approximately 35 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough electricity to power up to  50,000 homes.

Energy from waste initiatives form a vital part of the sustainable waste management chain. The proposed plant will divert 400,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year, contributing to Victoria’s energy security and providing a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Used in other parts of the world like Europe, North America and Japan for decades, energy from waste plants are increasingly being considered across the globe to reduce waste going to landfills and generate more sustainable energy.

The project is currently in the early stages of the planning and design phase, with early site investigations underway and the preliminary design being finalised. The project will go through a rigorous planning and environmental approval process, and we’ll keep you informed throughout, including opportunities to participate. 

Energy from waste is a safe and reliable way of diverting waste from landfill and converting it into electricity. Modern energy from waste plants are specifically designed with best practice operating systems to protect health and safety.  These plants use proven and reliable technology which is widely used around the world, with more than 500 facilities operating in Europe alone, including in cities like Copenhagen and Paris. 

Energy from waste is an important and exciting link in the sustainable waste management chain. It complements existing waste management processes such as recycling, reuse or avoiding the creation of waste. The plant will convert waste that can’t be recovered by these other methods into approximately 35 MW of electricity. 

Community health and safety are key considerations of the regulatory approvals processes, and the operation of the proposed plant will meet all Victorian EPA and European Union Best Practice requirements around health, safety, noise, odour and air quality.

In an energy from waste plant, waste is delivered via trucks to the tipping hall, which is a fully enclosed building. Waste is tipped from the trucks into a large waste bunker and a crane is used to move the waste from the waste bunker to a waste feed hopper. From here waste is pushed onto a grate and combusted at high temperatures. The hot gases generated by the combustion go through a boiler to generate steam which is then used in a turbine to produce electricity.