South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas officially opened OneFortyOne’s $30m renewable biomass power generation project at their Jubilee Sawmill site last Thursday.
The project, which includes the installation of a new boiler and steam turbine, represents a total investment of approximately $90m by the company.
In attendance were Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven, Member for Barker Tony Pasin, Ben Hood MLC, Mayor of Mount Gambier Lynette Martin OAM and members of the forestry industry including OneFortyOne employees.
Premier Malinauskas said the investment into one of South Australia’s most significant industries was exciting for the state.
“This is a welcome announcement, which means longevity of technology, reduced carbon emissions and renewable energy going back into the grid,” he said.
“The $90m investment from OneFortyOne, $30m of which is to a renewable generation facility is a very clear example around how decarbonising is about extracting value but only can happen in partnership.
“We are very conscious as a government that if we want private capital making $90m investments … they need to know they have a partner in the government of the day regardless of their political persuasion also investing in the industry in the areas which are their responsibility.
“We tip our hat to what OneFortyOne is doing with this renewable investment, it will certainly draw yet more positive attention to the industry not just here at home but most importantly abroad including internationally.”
The Jubilee Sawmill first started producing electricity in 1956, producing energy for Mount Gambier until the 1970s and the new turbine will generate more than enough electricity to power the entire Jubilee Sawmill site.
The excess renewable electricity can be returned to the grid or used to enable future electrification of forklifts, trucks and other machinery.
OneFortyOne chief executive Wendy Norris said the need to replace their current boiler which was reaching its end of life after 60 or 70 years presented them with a unique opportunity to rethink how they utilise steam and consume electricity at the site.
“In one sense this feels like a firm step into the future as we create options around renewable energy use to support our sustainability goals and at the same time it links back to our origin story because power has been generated using wood waste on this site right from the beginning,” she said.
“This investment not only supports our decarbonisation goals but also positions us for future opportunities in renewable energy.
“By installing a steam turbine power generation system, we will be able to produce electricity from biomass, significantly repurposing wood fibre, preparing for our future energy needs.
“What’s really exciting about this project is the turbine will generate enough electricity to power the entire Jubilee site from renewable wood fibre. That helps us to achieve over 70% of our 2030 emissions reduction targets.”
