Westbury BioHub Featured on 7 News Tasmania

The Westbury BioHub was featured on 7 News Tasmania following the Tasmanian Government’s recent announcement of support of up to $12.5 million for the project through the Waste and Resource Recovery Board.

The segment looked at how the BioHub would take organic residues from local farms and food processors and give them a second use as renewable gas and organic fertiliser. It also noted that this would be the first time gas has been produced in Tasmania since the early 1900s.

The BioHub is being developed jointly by Optimal Renewable Gas and Solstice Energy. It would use anaerobic digestion to process around 36,000 tonnes of organic residues each year. From that, it is expected to produce around 188 TJ of biomethane, about 3% of Tasmania’s current annual gas demand, and around 12,000 tonnes of organic fertiliser. It is also expected to reduce emissions by around 13,300 tonnes of CO₂-e a year.

The biomethane would be injected into Tasmania’s existing gas network. That means industrial and commercial users could use renewable gas through infrastructure and equipment that is already in place.

Watch the 7 News story: Gas could soon be produced in Tasmania for the first time in more than a century, with a new bio hub planned for Westbury. The project will turn tens of thousands of tonnes of organic waste into renewable energy – but it’s only expected to supply around 3 per cent of the state’s gas demand. #7NEWSTAS | LIVE AT 6PM | 7NEWS Tasmania | Facebook