Solid Energy seeks consents

Solid Energy seeks consents for small Demonstration Briquetting Plant

Solid Energy has today confirmed that it is seeking consents from the Gore District Council and Environment Southland to build a small demonstration briquetting plant, to prove the technology, market product, and build staff capability in running the plant.

Solid Energy’s Group Manager New Developments, Brett Gamble, says that claims reported today have left the impression the demonstration plant the company is currently consenting will emit millions of tonnes of carbon.

“This is not correct. Discharges from the demonstration plant - about the size of one-and-a-half football fields – will be minimal. The small-scale plant is wholly owned by Solid Energy and will be located on existing zoned industrial land where it will produce briquettes using locally mined lignite. It will use technology developed in the USA by GTL Energy.”

Solid Energy is awaiting the local authorities’ decision on whether it will notify the resource consents or not. A decision to build a commercial-scale briquetting plant would only be made once the demonstration briquetting plant has successfully met Solid Energy objectives of producing low-moisture, higher-energy briquettes which have proven their value in New Zealand and international markets. That would require the company to apply for new resource consents.

Solid Energy is also investigating a range of other options to unlock the potential of Southland lignites including the production of fertiliser and liquid fuel. These proposed projects are still in the early stages of development but the company will take full responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and it is a key consideration in all its lignite developments. Like all other companies we have the option of:
• mitigating our carbon emissions by finding ways to generate fewer emissions through the process
• offsetting our carbon emissions by biosequestration (planting more trees) or purchasing carbon credits,
• capturing emissions or
• a combination of all of the above.

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