Civil works for MSF Sugar’s new $75 million green energy power plant at the Tableland Mill have been completed, paving the way for work to start on the major component – a high-pressure boiler which will turn biomass waste into energy.
Construction of the plant started in May of this year and is on track to be completed by July 2018.
The plant will use a 100 per cent renewable sugarcane fibre, known as bagasse, to produce 24 megawatts of electricity – enough to power every house in the Tableland region.
MSF Sugar Tableland Green Energy Power Plant Project Manager, Mark Magnanini, said the first shipment of fabricated structural steel was expected to arrive on site in early September and would be used to construct the plant’s heart, a biomass-fired 87 bar high pressure boiler.
“With all of the design and engineering now complete, the team’s excited to be moving into the construction phase,” Mr Magnanini said.
He said project team members would travel to Thailand in September to start detailed planning around training, operation and maintenance with parent company, Mitr Phol.
As the cornerstone of MSF Sugar’s move into the biofuels industry, the power plant is attracting interest from all sectors of the community.
The story behind the plant – and the vision to transform MSF Sugar into a modern, integrated sugarcane business – will be the focus of the September meeting of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce.
MSF Sugar’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike Barry, and General Manager Business Development, Hywel Cook, will deliver a presentation on the company’s future and what it means for Far North Queensland.
The chamber meeting will be held on September 15 at the Shangri-La Hotel from 11-30am to 2pm.