Bioenergy industry leaders met in Maryborough today to outline ways the Wide Bay-Burnett region can reduce carbon emissions and reap benefits from waste-to-energy sector projects.
Member for Maryborough Bruce Saunders said events like the Wide Bay Burnett Waste to Energy Forum were crucial for attracting international investment and delivering high-value, knowledge-intensive jobs to the region.
"As Queensland’s largest timber-growing area, with strong industry footprints in agriculture and manufacturing, the Wide Bay-Burnett region has a strategic advantage to capitalise on waste-to-energy projects," Mr Saunders said.
"The forum helped local businesses focus on and get motivated to leverage resource recovery opportunities and collaborate to achieve greater outcomes."
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said the Palaszczuk Government wants to grow the state’s biofutures sector into a $1 billion industry by 2026.
"Through my department’s Biofutures 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan, our government is working to strengthen Queensland’s position in this emerging sector."
"We’re supporting this work with a $100 million commitment over three years to roll out the Resource Recovery Industry Development Program, which will encourage businesses and local councils to help grow our resource recovery industry."
The state government’s Biofutures Industry Envoy Professor Ian O’Hara said Queensland’s bioenergy revolution had tremendous potential for the Wide Bay-Burnett region.
"As biotechnology and waste-to-energy processes continue to mature, the number of viable feedstocks is growing rapidly, particularly when it comes to what has previously been seen as waste products," Prof. O’Hara said.
"This can be a game-changer, both for industries like Wide Bay-Burnett’s wood processors – whose byproducts can become an entirely new revenue stream – and for customers who will have new opportunities to access green energy sources."
The Wide Bay Burnett Waste to Energy Forum was jointly hosted by the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning ($7000) and the Department of Environment and Science ($2000).
