Casino Biohub Project
7 March 2023
Helmont Energy has partnered with the Casino Food Co-op to develop the Casino Biohub.
The biohub will largely process organic waste from the Casino Food Co-op to create renewable energy from biogas as well a nutrient-rich fertiliser for local farmers. The facility is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 3000 homes.
The biohub will be located at the Casino Food Co-op’s existing processing facility and tannery on Summerland Way. It will feature:
loading area
receivals area and pit
covered anaerobic lagoon
anaerobic digestor tank
balance tank and blending tank with macerators
supporting infrastructure including generators, office building, electricity connections and biogas and wastewater lines.
The biohub is being developed by Helmont Energy in partnership with the Co-op and has the backing of Australia’s largest and most successful biogas company, LMS Energy.
Figure 1 - proposed site map for the Casino Biohub
Figure 2 - 3D Render of the Casino Biohub
Project benefits
There will be several benefits generated by the project once it is operational, including:
creation of 30 - 40 jobs during construction
creation of 15 - 20, full time, local jobs once operating
reduction of organic waste that could go to landfill
renewable energy generation to reduce the Co-op’s reliance on external energy and provide clean energy to the community
90% reduction in the Co-op’s carbon footprint.
Key project features
The project is expected to process around 900,000 tonnes of waste per year (mainly liquid waste) to generate 2.2 megawatts or 16,000 megawatt hours of electricity yearly. This is equivalent to powering 3000 homes. It will have the potential to expand to produce up to 4 megawatts in the future.
Functions of the biohub include:
receiving, processing and anaerobic digestion of organic matter/wastes from the existing red meat/livestock processing facility.
storage and treatment of recovered and produced biogas
generation of renewable energy and heat from biogas
production of digestate (as a by-product of the process) which will be converted into nutrient-rich fertiliser or compost.
Project approval
The project will be assessed under a State Significant Development (SSD) application under Part 4, Division 4.7 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act).
This requires submission of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This is expected to go on exhibition for public comment in 2024.
Feedback and more information
You can provide feedback on this proposal via our online survey. It will take less than 10 minutes to complete.
You can also download a copy of the Casino Biohub introductory letter distributed to the community in March 2023.
For further information about the online survey or proposed Biohub, please contact Jamie Seaton of Element Environment at community@elementenvironment.com.au.