ONE of the region’s most significant projects took another step forward today, as the first sod was turned at the Hunter Pilot Biorefinery (HPB) in Muswellbrook.
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The long-touted HPB will be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, becoming a world leader in the field.
NSW Deputy Premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro visited the Carramere Road work site on Thursday where the highly-innovative plant is set to be built, as more details were revealed about the construction phase.
While no contractors have been hired yet, the building will begin in June and take 12 months to complete, meaning the unveiling of the facility should be expected in mid-2020.
Ten people are likely to be employed for the HPB between now and the site’s completion, and approximately another 10 will be hired when it’s up and running.
Mr Barilaro said it was important to think of the future and diversify the region’s income because it’s dangerous for economies to rely on one source.
“I think [this will operate] alongside of mining initially and then post-mining of course,” he explained.
“We all know that day’s going to come, perhaps not in my life but that day will come.”
He emphatically backed the research and effort that had gone into getting the project off the ground, with the idea and technology originally discussed in the mid-1990s.
Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen said the electorate and the wider Hunter was a powerhouse for the Australian energy market – and continuing to deliver visionary ways to power industry and households, while supporting new jobs in NSW.
“The Hunter Pilot Biorefinery has the potential to revolutionise the way we create energy here in Australia,” he explained.
“This is going to allow world-class research into renewable and clean energy to take place at Muswellbrook, already an energy hub for the state.”
The NSW Government pledged $4.6 million to the project in May 2018, and Ethtec senior biotechnologist Dr Geoff Doherty said they were very thankful to both them and Muswellbrook Shire Council for their support.
He also said that while the next year and a half could be quite difficult, he was looking forward to the challenge.
“I’ll also be thrilled when it’s all completed,” Dr Doherty added.
“It’ll be a challenging 18 months like with any major construction.
“But, we’ve done the appropriate planning, we’ve looked at this 1000 times over and I think we’re going to build a facility that’s fit for purpose.”