Austral Bricks have been manufacturing in Horsley Park since the 1960’s and this approval will allow the facilities to transition their operations from fossil fuels to renewable biogas.
The facility will divert up to 150,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill each year, converting the waste into renewable green gas using anaerobic digestion technology.
The plant will place organic waste into a sealed tank, allowing bacteria to break it down and release biogas.
This green gas will generate electricity and heat to power the bioenergy facility and be piped to the brick manufacturing kiln to replace the natural gas currently being used as a fuel.
The $81.4 million development is expected to support more than 250 jobs during construction.
Once complete, the development will process solid and liquid organic waste collected from commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential areas.
Improving the sustainability of core building materials like bricks is crucial to achieving NSW’s climate goals especially as we accelerate the delivery of homes right across the state.
This approval will mean bricks made from this renewable energy will be used in the construction of thousands of new homes being delivered in metropolitan Sydney and beyond.
Austral Bricks are partnering with renewable energy company Delorean Corporation, to construct and operate the bioenergy facility.
When assessing the proposal, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure carefully considered issues such as traffic, site access, noise, air quality and biodiversity concerns.
