Bromelton Energy & Resource Centre
Bromelton Energy & Resource Centre
Cleanaway is proposing to build an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility in Bromelton, Queensland. Known as the Bromelton Energy and Resource Centre (BERC), it will use internationally proven technology to convert waste to energy. Such techonology has been successfully used in cities across Europe, North America, Japan and many other countries, and has continually improved over decades.
The BERC will comply with the Queensland Government EfW Policy, Guideline and any other applicable legislation.
The proposed site is a 62 hectare parcel of land within the Bromelton State Development Area (SDA). This location is part of a Special Industry Precinct for difficult to locate industry. Cleanaway will be seeking approval for this project and expects to be consulting with the community and key stakeholders about the proposal again in 2024.
Bromelton Energy and Resource Centre location on map.
Explore the latest Project information in our virtual engagement room via the link below. This is where you can access factsheets, posters, event information and registrations and you can also participate in our online survey.
Read the early community engagement results for the BERC project here.
We can divert waste from landfill and transform it into valuable sustainable energy
EfW is the thermal treatment of residual waste that would otherwise go to landfill. This produces energy in the form of steam and electricity, and is intended to recover other resources such as valuable construction aggregates and metal. The BERC will help power the Queensland economy as we work together to make a sustainable future possible.
To better manage waste in Queensland, we need to find ways to work at higher levels of the waste hierarchy.
The BERC facility aims to do this by recovering energy from residual municipal solid waste (MSW) (general household waste bins), and residual commercial and industrial (C&I) waste that would otherwise be disposed in a landfill. For more information about our investment in EfW read about our Melbourne Energy and Resource Centre.
Cleanaway is Australia’s leading waste management provider, servicing the country for over 50 years. As a company who invests in all levels of the waste hierarchy, with a particular focus on those levels above disposal, we understand the importance and promote the need to reduce the volume of waste that ends up in landfill.
Cleanaway invests in all levels of the waste hierarchy, with a focus on the higher levels for a more sustainable future. Cleanaway operates many waste recycling services in Queensland and nationally. These services include food and garden organic waste, glass, paper, cardboard and plastic. We also invest in education programs and support innovative ideas to avoid, reduce and reuse waste.
The Project
The location for the proposed Bromelton Energy and Resource Centre is Lot 1 Beaudesert Boonah Road, Bromelton, Queensland.
We are currently undertaking the technical assessments to inform the design of the BERC. Further details will be shared in 2024.
Cleanaway will submit the necessary applications for the BERC Project to the Queensland Government in 2024. If the Project is approved, it will take approximately three to four years to build the facility.
The timeline for the Project is indicative only and is subject to change.
Get Involved
We are committed to obtaining public feedback on the analysis, alternatives and/or decisions.
We will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge concerns and aspirations, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.
We’ve created a virtual engagement experience so you can explore the Project information on your chosen smart device – located in our future visitor and education centre in Bromelton.
In the virtual engagement room you can access factsheets, posters, event information and registration and you can also participate in our online survey.
Click here to enter the virtual engagement room
In May 2023, Cleanaway and the project team began consulting with targeted stakeholders including government agencies, utilities, local business groups and site neighbours.
In October 2023, Cleanaway consulted with the broader community through a range of in-person and online engagement activities. The infographic below provides a summary of the reach and engagement for each communication and engagement method.
Key topics raised by the community were about:
- traffic impacts of additional trucks moving waste to and from the facility,
- environmental impacts including air quality and odour
- local importance of water consumption and need for sustainable water sources
- local employment opportunities especially for youth
- benefits to the local economy
- waste reduction or reuse and the need to focus on other local initiatives higher up on the waste hierarchy
- energy production and reduced energy costs.
At this stage, community sentiment and level of support (or social licence) for the Project has been mixed including both supporters and those with concerns or a desire for more information before expressing a view. The graph below shows the level of support from the online survey. A third of survey respondents support the proposed facility (32%), 28 per cent do not support the proposed facility, 23% have some concerns and 17% need more information. These figures may change over time.
The community told us in the online survey that the most valued community characteristics were natural environment, followed equally by safety and security and community facilities.
We will use findings from early engagement to inform development of the facility design, mitigate impacts and issues, guide future communication and use local insights to realise local opportunities and benefits.
There will be additional community engagement opportunities in 2024, including the establishment of a Stakeholder Reference Group. In October 2023 we announced we would establish a Community Reference Group to work with local residents and organisations. To allow for broader participation we have decided to rename the group a Stakeholder Reference Group, which we hope will encourage the involvement of the community, local community groups, businesses and leaders. If you’d like to be one of the first to know about these opportunities, please register your interest under the Stay up to date section below.
Acknowledgement of country
Cleanaway acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate, the Danggan Balun people, and we pay our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
We are proud to pay our respect to Elders past, present and future for they hold the traditions and the culture, and together we hold the hopes of a truly reconciled Australia.
We will post more information later this year, as the BERC proposal is developed. If you would like to be notified when new information becomes available and receive invitations to consultation activities, please register your interest:
The site chosen for the BERC is within the Bromelton State Development Area (SDA). This location is part of a Special Industry Precinct for difficult to locate industry. The SDA is a State Government declared area for major industrial development of regional, state and national significance.
The SDA is centrally located in South East Queensland with good connectivity to road and rail and for the BERC it provides the opportunity to partner with adjacent industry for offtake of the energy and resources recovered.
The site is surrounded by other heavy industry including the established Scenic Rim Regional Council Waste and Resource Recovery Facility, quarries, animal processing facilities, manufacturing and logistics operations. Further industrial development is expected in the SDA.
Transport needs to service the facility are being investigated as part of the Project development and design. More information about truck routes, types and volumes will be known after the investigations are completed and will be included in our consultation phase in 2024.
The BERC facility will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to allow it to provide reliable base-load electricity to the grid. The operating hours for truck movements to deliver waste and services to the facility is still being modelled.
Noise limits for day, evening and night periods at the nearest residential noise sensitive receivers have been established based on Queensland environmental protection legislation. The facility and its operation including traffic movements onsite will be designed to meet the required noise limits.
The BERC will not discharge any process wastewater from the site during normal operation. To achieve this, the BERC will recover and store all process wastewater onsite for treatment or process reuse. Stormwater will be collected and managed for reuse or attenuation onsite.
Cleanaway is committed to developing facilities which are safe for the community and the environment across Australia.
The BERC Project will use international best practice technology to meet the relevant air emissions standards required by the Queensland Energy from Waste (EfW) Policy. It will comply with the European Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) and the associated Best Available Techniques Reference Document for Waste Incineration, which is based on decades of experience and safe operating practices. Meeting these air emission standards will ensure the Project complies with the relevant ambient air quality health based and environmental standards set in the Environmental Protection (Air) Policy and Ambient Air Quality National Environmental Protection Measure.
Cleanaway is working with the Danggan Balun people and specialist consultants in developing a Cultural Heritage Management plan for the site. This involves assistance in the field during complex surveys and evaluation of reports developed.
To be kept informed of the latest information, sign up for updates on our website.
