Waste-to-energy company urged to keep plant on West Coast

Tuesday, 30 April 2019

Westland mayor Bruce Smith is hoping to visit a waste-to-energy plant on an upcoming trip to China for a tourism expo.

Two West Coast mayors are still vying for a waste-to-energy plant in their district.

Renew Energy Ltd withdrew its plans to build a waste-to-energy plant in Westport after it was revealed Buller Mayor Garry Howard signed an agreement with a Chinese investor that appeared to give the Westport plant the go-ahead without telling the public or district councillors. The company had also faced opposition from Buller residents when it sought to stockpile rubbish in Reefton.

08112015 News Photo KIRK HARGREAVES/ FairfaxNZGrey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn is keen to attract jobs for West Coasters.

Earlier this month, the company announced it would be looking at other areas to build the plant and a vote of no confidence in Howard as mayor was supported by an overwhelming majority of his Buller district councillors.

Since then, Grey mayor Tony Kokshoorn and Westland mayor Bruce Smith have both met Renew Energy chief executive David McGregor to discuss potential sites in their district.

Waste-to-energy plants burn rubbish at high temperatures to produce electricity.

* Vote of no confidence against Buller mayor after waste-to-energy debacle

* Waste-to-energy plant plans dumped after Buller mayor 'overstepped mark'

* Proposed West Coast waste to energy plant finds $300m investor in China

* Government grant stalled over links to businessman under Serious Fraud Office probe

* Westport's mayor off to England to investigate waste to energy plant**

Kokshoorn said he was keen to have any industry which created jobs on the West Coast, after the downturn in the mining industry saw huge job losses.

The company has said the plant would employ 50 people directly, and 400 more in off-shoot industries like horticulture which would use the heat produced by the plant.

After the preliminary meeting with Kokshoorn, McGregor had sent a confidential seven-page document to all Grey district councillors outlining its plans including two possible sites for the plant in the Grey district.

Kokshoorn said he supported the plant, and believed it was a viable alternative to landfills, which were susceptible to erosion on the West Coast as seen in Fox River and Cobden recently.

'The Resource Management Act is in place so if there are any damaging effects it won't be allowed to happen. I have told them we want to be open and transparent with the public every step of the way,' he said.

In emails released to Stuff between Howard and Renew Energy directors, one of the directors Kevin Stratful called the Grey District Council 'turkeys' after he was told the council had decided to expand its landfill.

Stratful is also an economic development manager for Development West Coast.

Kokshoorn said he was not bothered by the comment.

'My answer is gobble, gobble gobble. It's embarrassing for Kevin because he was caught out,' he said.

Smith said he had not only met with McGregor, but also representatives from Renew Energy's $300 million Chinese backer China Tianying Inc.

He said he approached McGregor and asked him to make a presentation to a public-excluded council meeting.

'If there are people wanting to invest a quarter of a billion dollars on the West Coast and make us self-sufficient in energy while creating a whole lot of jobs then of course we will ask them to consider us,' he said.

He was also confident any environmental concerns would be addressed in the resource consent process.