Australia's CEFC looking to back waste-to-energy projects

Australia's Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) said this week that New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory have the most supportive policies for waste-to-energy and bioenergy projects.

This is the conclusion of its report Energy from Waste in Australia: a state-by-state update.

"The states, which have imposed higher levies on landfill waste, are providing the right environment for investment in energy from waste projects," said CEFC bioenergy sector lead Henry Anning.

The CEFC says it is looking to accelerate the adoption of waste-to-energy technologies through financing and equity investment.

"On the equity side, the CEFC has committed [AUD] 100 million as a cornerstone investment in the Australian Bioenergy Fund, managed by Foresight Group, which is in the final stages of raising additional equity and has a strong pipeline of projects," said Anning.

A CEFC report last year found up to AUD 3.3 billion (USD 2.5bn/EUR 2.3bn) of investment opportunities in energy generation from urban waste accross Australia by 2020.

With around 23 million tonnes of urban waste sent to landfill a year, there is a significant opportunity for energy from waste to play a role in generating renewable energy while diverting waste from landfill, CEFC says.

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