On 30 June I had the great pleasure of representing the Minister for Regional and Rural Development to announce $1.5 million in Regional Infrastructure Development Fund funding for the Colac biogas plant project. The project is a first for western Victoria, and it will provide a local solution to a local problem of how to dispose of organic waste such as milk solids and meat scraps from major food-processing plants in the area. The $6 million project involves the installation of a biogas plant, a co-generation system and the processing of up to 25 000 tonnes of organic waste a year, transforming it to methane-rich gas that will be used to produce electricity as well as heat as a by-product.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Camperdown Compost Company and the Colac Power Company, which are local businesses, as well as Diamond Energy for getting this project off the ground. I also wish to acknowledge the hard work of Regional Development Victoria staff in a project that assists industry, the environment and local jobs.
