THE owner of a proposed chicken-poo power plant at Mount Cotton has reignited plans for his multi-million-dollar project, days before its extended planning application expires.
The power station, plagued with design and financial issues, has had its planning application extended twice since the first development application for the chook poo incinerator was lodged with council in 2006.
Cleveland Power, affiliated to chicken producer Golden Cockerel and Darwalla, now has until September 20 to start building its $20 million project on land near the Mount Cotton State School.
If the planning approval expires, it is expected the project developers would be forced to return to Redland City Council to reapply for more time.
The September 20 date was set in May last year when council granted Cleveland Power an 18-month extension to its planning application.
It had already won an appeal against a 2011 council refusal for an extension application in the Planning and Development Court in 2013, which cost ratepayers $300,000.
Five councillors voted against extending the approval last year including Division 6 Cr Julie Talty, who stood down from Cleveland Power’s community liaison team.
At the time, Cleveland Power said it needed the extension because it had failed to get adequate financial backing for its $20 million project and needed to redesign the incinerator’s kilns.
This week, Cleveland Power director David Bray said he had successfully enticed interest from the federal government’s Australia’s Renewable Energy Agency, known as ARENA.
In March, Arena set up a Clean Energy Innovation Fund, which will allocate $100 million a year to commercial, innovative renewable energy projects across the country.
“Arena is set to make decisions in the next few weeks that will affect key projects across Queensland, from major solar projects to renewable energy projects,” Mr Bray said.
“We’re continuing to work closely with the agency to bring Cleveland Powers’ first project to fruition. The pleasing thing for us has been the lateral thinking that our relationship with ARENA has fostered. It means better and even more efficient outcomes for the Mt Cotton Project.”
“The economic, jobs and the green rewards for Redland are soon to be released,” he said.
ARENA was contacted for comment on whether funding had been approved for the Mount Cotton project.
