Minister calls in waste-to-energy plant application

The application for a waste-to-energy plant to be built in Te Awamutu has been called in by the Minister for the Environment and will be referred to a board of inquiry.

Waipā District Council and Waikato Regional Council were notified of the decision by letter this week after the regional council requested this call in for its associated consent applications.

In releasing the decision, Minister Penny Simmonds said she considered the application by Global Contracting Solutions Limited to construct and operate the facility was “a proposal of national significance”.

“The matters have aroused widespread public concern or interest regarding its actual or likely effect on the environment and the matters involve or is likely to involve technology, processes or methods that are new to New Zealand and affect its environment,” the letter said.

“In reaching my decision, I considered the views of the applicant, and the relevant local authorities, the capacity of the local authority to process the matter and the recommendations of the Environmental Protection Authority.”

This decision and the resulting board of inquiry process is the outcome both councils sought.

The Environmental Protection Authority will publicly notify the Minister’s direction and will commence the planning and arrangements for a revised submission and hearings process.

The letter from the Minister is available now on Waipā District Council’s website.