The Organics Processing Facility (OPF) will be located at Aruhe Road, South Hornby, in an industrial estate zoned for heavy industrial activity.

The Ecogas plant is primarily an energy production facility that converts organic waste into energy (gas, heat, and electricity) and digestate (fertiliser). It uses a completely different process from the current plant in Bromley which composts organic material.

A commercial energy production facility is best co-located alongside other industries and businesses who can purchase energy close to where it is being produced.

The site is owned by Ecogas in an area zoned for heavy industrial activity where there are industrial neighbours and good transport links. This is close enough to the city to minimise any impact on the Council’s existing kerbside collection. Ecogas looked at several sites and Hornby was the best fit.

The Organics Processing Plant in Bromley is owned by the Council and will still be in operation until the new facility comes online and services are transitioned across.

The South Hornby site is owned by Ecogas and is in a better location for supplying both energy and services.

The site is approximately 3 hectares and sits within an industrial park in the South Hornby area.

Ecogas are taking a multi-layered approach to managing odour.

The new facility will be enclosed with no outside storage or processing of materials. The design will feature technology such as a bio-scrubber and rapid close doors. The kerbside food waste will be processed quickly on arrival, with contamination removed before it is pumped into the fully sealed anaerobic digestion tanks.

The Bromley Organics Processing Plant uses a composting methodology to process kerbside organics.

The Ecogas Organics Processing Facility uses Anaerobic Digestion for wetter materials including the kerbside collections. The more fibrous greenwaste streams will be run through our biomass processing line. Both waste streams will be processed quickly and in a completely enclosed environment.

The two processes are completely different in terms of outputs, operations and effects on neighbouring communities and cannot be considered comparable.

Yes. The plant goes through rigorous safety in design planning.

The biogas produced is low pressure and dissipates easily, mitigating the risk of explosion. This is very different to bulk fuel storage. The facility will be designed to meet strict gas safety standards.

The digestate is pastuerised prior to being spread on farmland to remove any harmful basteria or pathogens in accordance to the international BSI standard PAS110.

The facilty will be operated in accordance to our independently accredited systems including ISO55001 Asset Management, ISO45001 Occupational Health and Safety, ISO14001 Environmental Management and NZS7901 Public Health and Safety.

The site is located between SH1 and SH76 in an industrial estate designed for heavy traffic. The proximity to arterial routes means that trucks should not be travelling through residential areas.

All drivers coming onto the site will be given an induction which will inform them of the routes to take to minimise impact on the community.

Our management systems include contingency and business continuity planning to ensure we quickly resolve any incidents. The design of the facility will adhere to all applicable building and industry standards including for earthquake resilience.

The biogas tanks will be designed to the natural gas standards and are low pressure systems. The site will be bunded (raised perimeter) to contain any liquid spills.

In the unlikely event of a tank leak due to a large earthquake, the liquid will be contained within the bunded area and then pumped into a tanker truck for disposal. Any odour emitted during this time will not be hazardous to health - it’s a fertiliser that’s used for growing crops.

Ecogas has not had any complaints about smell from residents at either the Papakura or Reporoa sites.

It is planned that the facility operates from 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday. There may be weekend activity to cater for situations such as public holidays.

Biomass is essentially chipped and dried wood and fibrous material. It is used as a renewable replacement fuel in industrial boilers.

The biomass processing at the Christchurch OPF will take the city’s greenwaste, chip and dry it into a usuable form.