Optimal Group has purchased land in Westbury Tasmania for its Westbury bioLNG development.
The two-hectare land purchase follows the completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BOC to jointly explore the development of Australia’s first bioLNG facility at BOC’s micro-LNG plant in Tasmania.
The land was purchased by Optimal Group to ensure availability pending a final investment decision by Optimal Renewable Gas (ORG) (an Optimal Group subsidiary) and BOC on the $55 million, 2.4 TJ/day waste to biogas plant adjacent to the existing Westbury micro-LNG plant.
BOC and its subsidiary Elgas supply LNG to industrial customers in Tasmania. The biogas plant would provide biomethane to BOC’s micro-LNG plant, which would then be processed into bioLNG and distributed to customers in agriculture, food processing and other industries.
In a statement Optimal said: “As demand for renewable energy gathers pace, Optimal recognises the need to provide commercial and industrial natural gas customers with a solution to achieve net zero carbon emissions without expensive modifications to existing plant and equipment.
“The development of renewable biogases is critical to many industrial customers requiring up to 70 per cent of their overall energy requirements for thermal processes.”
Chair of Optimal Renewable Gas, Dr John Hewson, said momentum within Optimal is really starting to build.
“Optimal and its partners are working hard to ensure biogas will play a significant role in greening our gas grids, providing a path to net zero for many existing gas users,” he said.
Dr Hewson said the $500 million plan will not only create green renewable gas, it will create economic growth in the construction and operation of these plants.