East Rockingham waste project to power lithium mine
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The $500 million East Rockingham Waste to Energy facility currently under construction will power part of the Greenbushes lithium operation under a deal with Talison Lithium.
The global lithium producer finalised a power purchase deal with the $511 million waste to energy operation to provide power to the South West lithium operation, Business News can reveal.
Although Talison remained tight lipped of the details on the deal, it’s understood the power purchase agreement is within the 23-to-25-megawatt range.
“Talison entered into a power purchase agreement with East Rockingham Waste to Energy some time ago,” a Talison spokesperson told this masthead.
“The details of the contract are commercial in confidence.”
The East Rockingham W2E facility was pegged for completion in the first half of 2023 under its fixed price contract valued at $511 million with Acciona.
It’s now reportedly expected to open in the first quarter of 2024.
The long-delayed project is designed to process 300,000 tonnes of residual waste per year at the 10-hectare Rockingham Industry Zone site.
The operation is backed by a consortium of Swiss technology provider Hitachi Zosen Inova, Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, and Tribe and international investor John Laing.
In 2020, renewable energy developer Masdar and Tribe Infrastructure Group formed a joint venture and acquired a 40 per cent stake in the waste-to-energy project.
The East Rockingham W2E operation is led by Jason Pugh, who is also the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia’s state president.
The Greenbushes lithium operation is 100 per cent owned by Talison Lithium, which itself is owned by joint venture partner Tianqi Lithium Corporation and IGO with a combined 51 per cent stake and Albemarle Corporation with a 49 per cent interest.
In an IGO ASX release from 2022, it was detailed that the East Rockingham W2E would provide 23MW at 50 per cent renewable by mid-2023.
The East Rockingham Waste to Energy facility was contacted for comment.