Business Leader Calls For Biomass Investment To Power Forest Sector Growth

A PROMINENT South East businessman has come out in support of green energy in the form of biomass electricity as a means to boost the region’s forestry industry and local economy. Adrian de Bruin – who sold his 30.3pc share in the timber giant Auspine back in 2008 – continues to chair the Mount Gambier based de Bruin group, which has branched out to aviation and engineering. With a commitment to the region’s prosperity, Mr de Bruin has called on all tiers of government and private investors to back a biomass electricity plant, which would utilise the forestry’s wood waste to create power. “The opportunity to become a major producer of green energy based on biomass is enormous,” he said. “We are blessed with good rainfall, good soil and good growth rates, but we are just lacking a vibrant timber industry at the moment.” Mr de Bruin said while the forestry sector was suffering, there was still untapped potential. “We’ve got all this available wood fibre and no opportunity for local value adding,” he said. “We could use this surplus material and turn it into electricity that is easy to sell.” He said with significant investment, which he estimated at $150m for a 60 megawatt facility, the plant could generate up to 500 jobs for the ongoing collection and delivery of raw materials. “Collection is where the job generation is because they would need to pick the waste off the forest floor and transport it,” he said. Mr de Bruin said the popular renewable energy source could also generate hot water and steam for the forestry industry, including for kiln drying of timber. “You could place the plant at Tarpeena because it is in a rural area with plenty of land around it,” he said. “It needs a new heat source anyway because the current equipment is getting old.” Mr de Bruin believes a 60 megawatt plant would generate enough electricity for the region as well as enough to be exported outside the South East. “It would need around 600,000 tonnes of raw materials per year but there is plenty out there,” he said. He said the biomass plant, which would be considered a base load energy source, would serve the region’s ongoing energy demand at a constant rate. However with the state and federal governments unlikely to invest, he said they could assist potential investors. “The biggest issue with all green energy is that the costs are higher than it is to produce coal electricity,” he said. “The customer is not going to pay more just because it is green, but the Federal Government could underwrite the carbon credit pricing for the next 10 years so the investor has an assured income. “It is that subsidy that will bring it into a viable economic situation.” He said assisting with planning approvals and providing easy access to water for the plant’s cooling system would also offer added incentive. In addition, Mr de Bruin said a biomass electricity plant would be considered carbon neutral with the carbon dioxide emissions generated by the plant offset by the emissions consumed by the forestry’s plant material. The waste materials used for the plant would also come from existing plantations and would be sustainable and renewable. Meanwhile, the State Government is currently undertaking a $1m study by Finnish experts into the future opportunity for the region’s timber sector. Taylor Scott International