Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)

The Parkes Energy Recovery Project is a proposed Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility within the Parkes Special Activation Precinct (SAP) in regional New South Wales. The facility will safely process non-recyclable residual waste, such as household “red bin” waste and non-recyclable commercial waste and convert it into energy.

Using advanced, proven EfW technology provided by Kanadevia Inova, the process will generate steam to drive turbines and produce electricity. It will also recover metals and aggregate from the bottom ash for reuse and has the potential to provide steam and heat to nearby businesses to improve energy efficiency.

This project aims to provide a reliable source of energy and a sustainable solution for managing non-recyclable waste in the region.

State Significant Development (SSD) is the NSW planning process used to assess major projects that are considered important to the state due to their size, economic value or potential impacts.

SSD projects are assessed by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure through a detailed planning and environmental review process. This includes technical studies required under the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs), public exhibition of the findings from these studies and opportunities for community feedback before any decision is made.

Parkes Energy Recovery has been declared a State Significant Development and will be assessed through this process.

Parkes Energy Recovery is progressing though the State Significant Development (SSD) assessment process.

The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) has issued the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs), which outline the studies that must be completed before the project can be considered.

Parkes Energy Recovery is now undertaking detailed environmental and technical studies, including air quality, human health, traffic and transport, noise, biodiversity and water, as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which will document the findings.

Following submission of the EIS, next steps include:

• Public exhibition of the EIS, where the community and stakeholders can review the information and provide feedback.
• Assessment and determination by the NSW Government.

No decision has been made about the project. The assessment process ensures the project is thoroughly examined before any decision is made.

The Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) are guidelines issued by the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure that set out what studies and information must be prepared to assess a major project.

They define the scope of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), outlining the environmental, technical and community matters that must be examined in detail before the project can be considered.

The SEARs are not an approval, and no decision has been made about the project.

You can find out more in our SEARs explainer.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a detailed report that examines the potential environmental, social and economic impacts of a proposed project.

The EIS brings together the findings of the technical studies required under the SEARs, including air quality, human health, traffic and transport, noise, biodiversity and water, and explains how potential impacts would be managed.

Once completed, the EIS is placed on public exhibition so the community and stakeholders can review the information and provide feedback before any decision is made.

EfW provides a sustainable solution for managing non-recyclable, non-reusable waste that would otherwise go to landfill. It sits in the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) waste hierarchy as a preferred treatment method compared to landfill because it:

• Reduces landfill: diverting non-recyclable materials that can’t be composted or recycled.
• Generates energy: converting waste into a reliable, local source of electricity for the region.
• Supports recycling: by focusing only on residual waste, EfW works alongside existing recycling and resource recovery systems, not in competition with them.
• Improves environmental outcomes: by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfill and using proven, advanced technology that meets strict environmental and health standards.

Parkes Energy Recovery brings combined experience of over 90 years in waste management and the development and operations of Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities.

This includes traditional waste management practices, including waste collection and disposal, resource recovery, recycling and material treatment, as well as the development of EfW facilities in Australia (including East Rockingham) and in over 800 facilities internationally.

This experience and proven track record enables the consortium to design, develop, build, own and safely operate highly technical and specialist facilities.

Parkes Energy Recovery’s technology partner, Kanadevia Inova, has been building and operating Energy-from-Waste facilities for over 90 years, including in Australia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Dubai, Finland, Germany, Japan and many more.

The NSW Government selected Parkes as one of the state’s Special Activation Precincts (SAP) – a set of dynamic, sustainable business hubs designed to bring new investment, industry, local jobs and economic benefits to the regions they’re in. Doing so will need energy, and that’s where we come in, providing a critical local source of baseload energy to drive investment in Parkes.

Locating a best-in-class Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility in the Parkes SAP helps to address two challenges: (1) providing an energy source for the SAP; and (2) supporting diversion of waste from landfill. NSW is facing a waste crisis. Our state sends 5 million tonnes of waste to landfill each year, and our recycling rates haven’t improved much in the past decade. The state government is responding to the urgency of the landfill crisis while helping realise the opportunity for growth by nominating the Parkes SAP as a potential location for EfW. Our project alone will provide 400 construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs to local residents. The broader industry investment attracted into the SAP will provide many more. The concept behind this project, in short, is how to turn Sydney’s waste into advantages for the regions, particularly Parkes.

The Parkes Energy Recovery facility will use combustion on a moving grate, as part of the advanced Energy-from-Waste (EfW) technology from Kanadevia Inova (KVI), a global leader in EfW solutions.

This process burns non-recyclable residual waste to produce steam that drives turbines to generate electricity. The facility will also recover metals and aggregate from the bottom ash (IBA) and will have the ability to provide steam and heat to nearby businesses for improved energy efficiency. Filtration and scrubbers ensure that emissions from the facility are safe for the people and the environment. You can learn more about KVI’s technology at https://www.kanadevia-inova.com/waste-to-energy/ and https://www.kanadevia-inova.com/waste-to-energy/combustion-systems/.

The technology proposed for Parkes is currently used in hundreds of facilities around the world. It is safe, proven technology with a strong track record of efficiently converting residual waste into energy, making it a reliable and established solution for sustainable waste management.

The Parkes Energy Recovery facility will use advanced Energy-from-Waste (EfW) technology from Kanadevia Inova (KVI), a global leader in EfW solutions. You can read more about the technology proposed at https://www.kanadevia-inova.com/waste-to-energy/.

The vast majority of the electricity generated will be used to feed the Parkes Special Activation Precinct (SAP) and exported to the grid.

Generally, EfW facilities consume only about 10% to 12% of the total energy they produce. The rest is an energy source readily available for direct transmission to neighbouring customers, and otherwise by distribution to the electricity grid.

Waste reduction and recycling should always be the priority. However, NSW is set to generate 37 million tonnes of waste per year by 2030 – nearly double the 21 million tonnes we produce today – and our recycling rates haven’t improved in the last decade. We need all elements of a waste sector working together to meet circular economy targets. Recovering energy, recycling metals and recovering aggregate materials through the facility are all ways to make sure we drive the best possible outcomes from waste that would otherwise be disposed of to landfill.

The global consensus is that EfW is an important source of baseload energy with an important role to play in our waste-management hierarchy. Reducing, reusing and recycling are priority, but there will always be some residual waste remaining.

Our project would divert significant volumes of waste away from landfill, where it would otherwise sit in landfill emitting large amounts of unregulated greenhouse gases like methane, a compound 28-to-80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. We will also re-use and recycle certain byproducts from our process, extracting value out of waste which would otherwise have lain useless in landfill.

Not at all. Both the EPA in the United States and the European Union – as well as the EPA in NSW – prefer EfW over landfill for managing non-recyclable waste, recognising it as an important part of both waste management and energy transition.

Major cities and economies around the world – including the US, Europe and the UK – prefer EfW over landfill in effective and efficient management of residual waste. It is integral to the EU’s Circular Economy Development Plan. There are 76 EfW facilities in the US, 470 in Europe, and countless others under construction all over the world. Many of these places also officially recognise EfW as a renewable energy source.

By diverting waste from landfill, the facility will avoid methane emissions from being released into the atmosphere and achieve an annual reduction of CO₂ equivalent (carbon dioxide).

The quantities of greenhouse gases will be detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as requested by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) as the project progresses.

Parkes Energy Recovery will source non-recyclable ‘red bin’ residual waste from local councils and commercial and industrial waste collectors across New South Wales.

The majority of residual waste will be coming to transfer stations in the Sydney Metropolitan Area. Waste will be initially screened before being loaded onto purpose-built sealed containers for transport by rail to Parkes. At Parkes, the residual waste will be tipped into the bunker which is in an enclosed tipping hall. Regional customers and Councils will make their deliveries to the facility directly by road.

The facility will accept household ‘red bin’ waste collected by councils, as well as commercial and industrial waste collected from businesses such as shops, hotels, schools and restaurants.

No. The facility will not take waste from overseas, only from NSW.

Claims like this are untrue and are intended to scare you. The reality is that, while the proposed facility will only have the capacity to process a fraction of the 5 million tonnes of waste that NSW sends to landfill each year; a number that is only increasing. The facility won’t be accepting waste from overseas.

Yes, Kanadevia Inova, the technology provider for Parkes, is currently designing and constructing new facilities in Australia, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and Europe. As it builds these new facilities, it optimises its design to fully align with the latest standards and regulations.

In terms of specific technology proposed for Parkes, when the final design is complete – which is anticipated to be in 2027 – it will be based on the latest, proven operating facilities. The technology proposed for Parkes Energy Recovery will need to comply with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)’s requirements in order to secure our licence.

The operation of an Energy-from-Waste facility involves several continuously controlled measures to meet the emissions requirements.

The control of nitrous oxide happens through the injection of ammonia (NH3) in the post-combustion chamber. At the Flue Gas Treatment (FGT) stage there is injection of hydrated lime to neutralise acid gas formation. Activated carbon is also injected to adsorb dioxins/furans and other contaminants including heavy metals. All the flue gas is passed through a fabric filter system to remove particulates and pollutants which is collected as Air Pollution Control residues (APCr) in sealed silos. The APCr is stabilised and responsibly disposed of in an appropriately licensed facility.

Parkes Energy Recovery will operate a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS), which is embedded into its operation, and be subject to ongoing oversight by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), in-line with its requirements. Some pollutants cannot be measured continuously and will be periodically measured in full compliance with the EPA licence. Emissions data will be published by Parkes Energy Recovery and made available to the NSW EPA and the community.

The NSW Government has restricted new large-scale energy from waste facilities in Sydney and the Central Coast, not because the technology is unsafe, but to direct them to four approved regional precincts as part of a statewide waste infrastructure plan.

Parkes was chosen for its suitability, infrastructure and ability to meet strict air quality and safety standards. Wherever energy from waste facilities are approved to be built, they must pass a rigorous government assessment and meet world leading emissions controls to protect human health and the environment.

In 2022, the NSW Government changed planning and environment laws to restrict new large scale thermal EfW facilities in Greater Sydney and the Central Coast.

This was not because the technology is unsafe. It was a policy decision about where to locate these facilities. The Government’s Energy from Waste Infrastructure Plan identified four regional sites, including the Parkes Special Activation Precinct, as preferred locations.

These regional locations were chosen to:

• Reduce impacts on densely populated areas while still enabling NSW to recover energy from non recyclable waste.
• Maximise efficiency by co-locating facilities with transport links and industry that can use the recovered energy.
• Ensure safety by applying the same strict air quality and operational standards wherever the facility is built.

Every EfW project in NSW must pass a rigorous merit based development assessment. This involves independent experts, the EPA, NSW Health, and community consultation. Facilities must comply with strict air emission limits that meet or exceed international best practice. The same standards apply wherever they are built.

Read more about the NSW Government’s Energy from Waste Infrastructure Plan here: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/21p3261-energy-from-waste-infrastructure-plan.pdf

Over 99.9% of the facility’s emissions will be normal air, steam and water vapour. The rest is carefully controlled in keeping with world-class emissions standards.

Emissions from the facility will be subject to strict licence limits imposed and monitored by the NSW Environment Protection Authority. The facility will have to operate within tight conditions for permissible emissions, with continuous emissions monitoring feeding data directly to the EPA.

Read more about emissions and air quality: https://parkesenergy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Parkes-A4-Infographic_Air-Quality-and-emissions.pdf

Modern EfW facilities operate in dense urban centres, close to houses and natural ecosystems, including farming and agricultural land. Monitoring results from these areas show negligible adverse impacts. The instances of contamination you may have heard about likely come from outdated facilities operating before strict European Union standards were introduced in 2000. Facilities like those wouldn’t be allowed today, and operated at much lower standards than we’ll adhere to here in NSW.

Over the last few decades, EfW technology has advanced significantly. The first plants introduced in the 1970s – which lacked environmental controls, monitoring systems, or regulatory requirements – are nothing like the advanced technology that Parkes Energy Recovery is proposing.

These advancements were largely driven by the introduction of the European Union’s Incineration Directive in 2000, which was further tightened in 2010 and 2019. These regulations mandated stringent controls on all EfW facilities and set the standard for facilities built today. As a result of these advancements, monitoring of soil and produce around EfW facilities in Europe have shown no discernible difference for locations close to these facilities compared to background areas. France, for example, has reduced the output of toxic dioxin-like compounds from its EfW facilities by well over 99%.

Our reference technology provider, Kanadevia Inova, played a pivotal role in advancing this technology. You can read more about their technology at https://www.kanadevia-inova.com/en/waste-to-energy/.  It is also important to note that this facility will only receive the required approvals if it meets the stringent regulatory requirement set by the NSW EPA.

We are undertaking comprehensive technical assessments to analyse the potential environmental and human health considerations for the proposed facilities. These studies will form part of our Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be made available for public review and comment. If approved, our facility would also be fitted with a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) to assess emissions at all times.

Parkes Energy Recovery is currently developing a detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which will evaluate any potential impacts to air, water and soil, amongst others. The EIS will also include an independent and rigorous human health and environmental risk assessment study.

The results of the EIS will be available to the public and will inform the authorities’ decision whether to grant us permission to build and operate the facility. The community will have the opportunity to comment on all of our studies when they go on exhibition during late 2026 and before any approval is granted.

It is important to note that the facility will only be approved if it meets the stringent environmental and human health requirements set by the NSW Government and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and will be subject to ongoing monitoring throughout the facility’s life.

Parkes Energy Recovery will implement a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System, using real-time sensors and regular sampling to ensure emissions remain within licensed limits.

The data collected will be reported to NSW environmental regulators, including the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), who also conduct independent audits and inspections to verify compliance. This combined approach ensures ongoing protection of human health and the environment.

Before the project can be issued a licence to operate, the Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility must first undergo rigorous environmental and human health checks as part of the development application submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI). The NSW EPA has some of the most stringent criteria in the world for health and environmental performance.

In NSW, any proposed facility must undertake an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which includes an Air Quality Impact Assessment. There is also a mandatory requirement for a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), which forms part of the EIS. The HHRA looks at all pathways for potential risks, is independent, rigorous and conducted by scientific and medically qualified people.

The EIS will go on public display for comment, before the DPHI and the EPA considers it.

If the EIS receives approval from DPHI, NSW EPA will then assess its Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) application. The EPL sets maximum emission limits for the facility, which are outlined in the NSW EPA Energy from Waste Policy Statement.

Yes, the standards are legally enforceable. If the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) approves the project following review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), it will issue conditions of consent as part of the development approval. DPHI is the compliance authority responsible for ensuring adherence to the conditions in the EIS during construction and operation.

The facility must also obtain an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), which would be assessed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The EPL includes strict, legally binding emission limits and monitoring requirements set out under the NSW EPA’s Energy from Waste Policy Statement. The EPA is the regulatory authority responsible for enforcing these conditions and ensuring ongoing compliance throughout the facility’s operation.

Parkes Energy Recovery will be operated in full compliance with stringent regulations set by the NSW Government and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and use best available technologies throughout its life.

Yes, Parkes Energy Recovery currently tracks all enquiries and will do so for the duration of the project’s life. All complaints and enquiries will be provided to the relevant NSW authorities if and how it is required.

A dedicated project mailbox (info@parkesenergy.com.au) and phoneline (+61 2 8405 7915) is available for community members to ask questions at any time.

No. The facility is designed to reuse about 97% of its water, so it needs only a small net amount from the local supply.

We expect the facility will use about 140 megalitres of water a year. That’s far less than the 2,300 megalitres the whole town of Parkes uses each year, and much less than the 3,000 megalitres used by the North Parkes Mine. It will not affect water available to the community or nearby farms.

Parkes Energy Recovery was announced in March 2025 and we have been engaging with the community ever since, to share information and listen to their views, including at drop-in sessions, through our website and over a dedicated phone line.

We are committed to maintaining this engagement and providing more avenues to share information throughout this process.

We are currently gathering data for our EIS, Human Health & Environment Risk Assessment (HHERA) and formulating our Environmental Management Plan (EMP). We will keep the community updated throughout the submission and assessment process, with detailed information on what public exhibition will look like.

All of the reports will be made available for public review and comment through the process.

We welcome all input from the community and encourage anyone with questions to reach out, either by phone, through our online form or via email. You can also register to receive project updates here.

Parkes Energy Recovery will create up to 400 full-time, direct jobs during construction and up to 50 permanent roles for the life of the facility.

These jobs will include technical specialists, operators and a range of other services. We have a strong focus on employing people from the Parkes community and surrounding regions.

The project is undergoing detailed cultural heritage assessments, including an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (ACHA), which must be completed before any licence to operate can be granted.

While the NSW Government previously undertook cultural heritage studies for the SAP, we are building on this work by preparing a site-specific addendum to the ACHA in accordance with the project’s SEARs. This provides a more detailed assessment than was previously required under the SAP.

We are also undertaking comprehensive technical assessments to analyse the potential environmental and human health considerations for the proposed facilities. These studies will form part of our Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will be submitted to the NSW Government as part of our permitting process.

These applications will include analysis of culturally significant areas, as well as environmental monitoring, and will be made available for public review and comment through the process.

We have been listening to the community and we have heard your concerns. To put it simply, we wouldn’t be developing this project if we didn’t believe in its safety, and in its importance.

We are currently finalising our technical assessments ahead of submitting our applications to the NSW Government, and we are confident that the scientific evidence will address the concerns we’re hearing. We believe that our project, combined with the development of the SAP, will not only mean benefits for current residents, but will entice others to come and contribute to Parkes. In the meantime, we encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out and speak with us by sending us an email, giving us a call, or signing up to receive project updates.

Comprehensive noise and odour assessments will be developed as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Parkes Energy Recovery.

Mitigation measures will be identified and implemented to prevent any impact on surrounding areas. The community will have the opportunity to comment on all our studies when they go on exhibition during 2026 and before any approval is granted.

Before the project can be issued a licence to operate by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), the Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility must first undergo rigorous environmental and human health checks as part of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) development application submitted to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI).

The EIS includes an Air Quality Impact Assessment and a Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA). A HHRA looks at all pathways for potential risks, and is independent, rigorous and conducted by scientific and medically qualified people. The EIS goes on public display for comment, before the NSW DPHI considers it. If the NSW DPHI approves the EIS, the facility must also obtain an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), which would be assessed by the NSW EPA. The EPL includes strict, legally binding emission limits and monitoring requirements set out under the NSW EPA’s Energy from Waste Policy Statement. Parkes Energy Recovery will also conduct continuous monitoring for the duration of the facility’s life.

We encourage anyone with questions to reach out at any time.

You can sign up to receive project updates at the ‘Contact Us’ page, or send us an email (info@parkesenergy.com.au) or give us a call (02 8405 7915) any time.