A German company will manage the construction of a new $75 million green energy power plant at the Tableland Mill.
MSF Sugar announced thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions as the winning bidder for the Engineering, Procure, Construct (EPC) contract. It is part of global diversified industrial group thyssenkrupp.
Construction will be underway by May 2017, with a handover date of July 2018 following commissioning.
The plant will be fueled by bagasse, a 100 per cent renewable sugar cane fibre, and byproduct of the mill, located at Arriga, near Mareeba.
MSF Sugar general manager business development Hywel Cook said the design, size and technology aspects for the project required a company with considerable expertise and commercial history in delivering large scale industrial plants.
“One priority for us was to source a company with an Australian presence and we achieved this,” Mr Cook said.
“Wherever possible, subcontractors will be drawn from the local area.”
Jan Lueder, chief executive officer of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Asia Pacific, said thyssenkrupp was proud to support MSF Sugar in their vision to grow highly efficient bio-power generation.
“We are committed to a long-term partnership with MSF Sugar to transform the sugar industry in Australia to become more green and sustainable,” Mr Lueder said.
“This facility, based on 100 pc bio mass fuel, represents our first step towards setting new standards for the sugar industry in Australia and Asia.”
Mr Cook said that electric power generated is green electricity.
“We convert sunshine to electricity via sugar cane.
“While Tableland Mill is the site for our first green power plant, we will expand the concept to each of our four sugar mills in Queensland.
“The sale of available electricity from the new plant will be sufficient to supply all the homes on the Atherton Tablelands.”
The Tableland Green Energy Power Plant will have a 24 megawatt generation capacity, exporting about 16 mw to the local grid, the balance covering the mills internal demand.
Storage of bagasse will allow the facility to operate in the non-harvesting season as well.
MSF Sugar and thyssenkrupp have also entered an agreement on the provision of Front-End Engineering Designs (FEED) and implementation planning for the South Johnstone Green Power Plant Project, commencing early 2017.
They will continue FEED work into plant construction in mid 2017.