Ecogas - food waste to energy

 

New Zealand's first large-scale food waste-to-bioenergy facility at Reporoa, in the central North Island, is now in the final stages of commissioning.

Following the blessing of the land by Ngāti Tahu-Ngati Whaoa on Tuesday 4th August, construction began on the new anaerobic digestion facility which is owned by Ecogas - a joint venture between Pioneer Energy Ltd and Ecostock Supplies Ltd - on land owned by T&G Fresh, a New Zealand fresh produce business. The project is funded by Ecogas, with a significant investment from Pioneer Energy's owner, Central Lakes Trust. 

When fully ramped up, the facility will turn 75,000 tonnes of organic waste, from businesses and kerbside food scrap collections throughout the North Island. The facility will use anaerobic digestion - a technology already used successfully overseas - to generate enough energy to annually power up the equivalent of around 2500 households in the region, produce clean bio-fertiliser for approximately 2000 hectares of local farmland, and provide CO2 and heat to enhance the growth of tomatoes in T&G Fresh's local glasshouse.