Energy
Best Practice Savings amount to $30,000 per year
Regional Victorian Abattoirs – The estimated LPG use is 100 kL per year. The cost of LPG yearly for heated water is close to $60,000. Future best practice to minimise hot water and therefore gas usage will include temperature controlled knife sterilisers, dry paunch dump, casings water recycling and dry plant cleaning. Solar hot water was also explored, but had a very long payback period.
Best Practice Savings amount to $30,000 per year for a one-off cost injection of $12,000. Payback period is about 5 months with greenhouse gas reduction of about 300 T CO2-e per annum.
TAFE NSW – Multigen – A 30-40 kW micro-turbine system would cost about $150k. Current average energy cost is 19.36 cents/kWh. Cogeneration would reduce this to 9 cents/kWh. Annual electricity costs would be reduced from about $66k to around $34k per year. Greenhouse gas production would also potentially fall from the current 360 Tonnes CO2-e to about 25 Tonnes CO2-e, with additional future savings being accrued through a lowered requirement for carbon credits, or carbon offsets.

electricity costs would be reduced from about $66k to around $34k per year
Shire Pumps and Street Lighting – One of the local Shires has an expenditure on energy of $218,000 per annum and generates approximately 1,150 tonnes of greenhouse gases per annum. Installation of variable speed drives on pumps and time management with more off-peak pumping could potentially save 20-30 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Changing street lighting from Mercury Vapour to High Pressure Sodium or Metal Halide lights together with electronic ballasts and photo switches could save a further 30-40 Tonnes of CO2.
Contaminated Site and Soils Investigations
Electricity infrastructure – The Phase 1 contaminated site assessment provided information on soil removed from numerous power pole locations between Deniliquin and Moama. Sampling was aimed at identifying phenolic compounds used in timber preservation and agricultural sprays (pesticides) that can also be found in these situations. The presence of copper, chrome, arsenic (CCA) and other heavy metals was also assessed. The material was disposed of under the exemption for material derived from electricity infrastructure replacement, which allows for disposal under the category of General Solid Waste – non-putrescible (Building and Demolition Waste -Waste Guidelines).


Land use planning – Options for future land use, rehabilitation and management have been developed for the Dutson Downs Waste Treatment Facility in Gippsland. The study involved remote sensing, soil survey and land capability for different forms of primary production, plantation development and carbon offsets.
Water
Effluent Disposal Pondages – Stanhope and Girgarre – Advice and planning for the irrigation layout and design of evaporation pondages and their surrounds has been conducted in the Shire Campaspe. Landscaping and recycle water management advice has also been provided. Both sites have a high public profile and one is located in a degraded saline environment. Liaison with project engineers and irrigation designers was an important aspect of the exercise and public sensitivities needed special consideration.


Tradewaste and Cleaner Production
A Wastewater Management Plan was produced….amounting to savings of more than $350k per year over ten years ($3.5m)
An Australian Soup Manufacturer needed to make progress in reducing effluent volume, suspended solids and BOD. Opportunities were identified for sustainable improvements in water resource use efficiency and management through a process of benchmarking investigations, water quality assessment, site inspection, process and operational analysis. A Wastewater Management Plan was produced which identifies and facilitates appropriate changes to processes and workplace practices to reduce, energy costs, water use, BOD and other water contaminants amounting to savings of more than $350k per year over ten years ($3.5m). The cost for implementation was just $150k.

Environmental Studies

Flora and Fauna Surveys have also been conducted throughout the Riverina for various NSW government departments, industry (including MIL) and private developers. Management plans are then prepared that cater for habitat requirements while facilitating the infrastructure development (e.g. Kerang levee redevelopment).
Mineral Sands Ouyen Iluka resources required a soil and landscape survey and land rehabilitation plan to support their Environmental Impact Statement. 9,000 ha was assessed with, site remediation and revegetation management plans being developed to satisfy the requirements of the client, the community and government agencies.
