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Green light for wood pellet mill

Posted on September 11, 2009, 8:08am and updated on September 12, 2009 at 5:26 pm

Grant District Council’s independent planning assessors have given the green light to the $25m industrial wood pellet plant near Mount Gambier.

It was the second time council’s Development Assessment Panel had deliberated over the Wandilo Forest Road application, which was lodged by Plantation Energy Australia.

This followed a number of safety, traffic and environmental issues raised by local residents.

In a coup for the region, the plant will become only the second wood pellet factory operating in Australia.

The development will employ up to 10 people on the site each day and will supply product to the export market via the Port of Portland.

Council planning and development director Leith McEvoy said the panel attached more than 50 conditions to the approval.

He said some of the conditions included turning lanes in out and of the plant being constructed on Wandilo Forest Road and a shared upgrade of the Riddoch Highway/Wandilo Forest Road intersection.

Mr McEvoy said another condition regarded fire safety at the facility given “it was a high bushfire risk zone”.

He said the panel also encouraged the applicant to contribute to a better bus stop in the vicinity of the plant.

“The panel also set the hours when trucks could enter and leave the plant, given it will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mr McEvoy said.

He said truck movements would be restricted to between 7am and 7pm each day.

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Comments

One Response to “Green light for wood pellet mill”

  1. Jude Augusta, on September 11th, 2009 9:54 pm 1

    Don’t forget there will be many other jobs up and down the stream of commerce as well — everything from legal and tax consulting to landscaping at the office, shipping and printing, trade shows and fairs, etc. Way to go — pump out those job-producing pellets.

    Jude Augusta, Director of Business Development
    http://www.WoodPellets.com
    Wood Pellets Online Delivered Nationwide

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