The Courier has identified it as one of the key projects that should be funded by whatever party comes into government on July 2. 

The City of Ballarat has asked for $2.5 million this election campaign to start planning work on the plant to attract tenants to BWEZ. 

Mayor Des Hudson has just returned from Finland, where he looked at their waste to energy technology in the city of Lahti. 

He said now was the opportune moment to get the seed funding for the project, with progress coming quickly at BWEZ and Ballarat’s waste increasing with its population. 

“(The value in the plant) is being able to reduce the amount of our waste going to landfill,” he said.

The electricity produced will go to balance out the usage of the industrial businesses moving into BWEZ and at times will push power back onto the grid, Cr Hudson said. 

Lahti showed what was possible, he said. 

“They are recycling about 95 per cent of their waste, with the rest incinerated, to  to look at their approach, being potentially world leaders, shows why waste to energy and a circular economy of waste is so important,” he said. 

The total project is estimated to cost $18.7 million for council but Cr Hudson said once the seed money comes in they will be looking for a commercial partner to operate the plant. 

He said it would cut spending down the track as City of Ballarat tips would not need to expand. 

Committee for Ballarat chair Janet Dore said it would be major addition to Ballarat that deserved federal funding to get started. 

“It would be an enormous long-term benefit to Ballarat to have that innovation here and the environmental benefits to divert waste from landfill,” she said.

Ms Dore also raised the jobs that would come from construction and managing the plant permanently. 

Cr Hudson said he raised the project in a visit to Canberra and lobbying has also come from the Central Highlands Councils body, who put it in the ‘strategic priorities and projects 2016’ list last month. 

It will also tie in the with green waste trial that begins next month when it eventually is finished, as cuttings and plant matter will add some strain to the city’s waste system.