biogas 

New Zealand has a fledgling biogas industry. The companies/organisations currently involved in producing biogas, providing advice on its generation, or that can assist with generation design and plant fabrication or purchase are listed in the following categories:

• Equipment Providers / Plant Design Engineers
• Consultants
• Generators
• Councils
• Research and Universities
• Industry (Waste Producers)

Click on the links above to find information from each category.

Profiles of the leading players in the New Zealand Biogas sector.

If your details are not listed on this web-site you will need to complete the Information Collection form, and send it to Connie Crookshanks to discuss how you can be listed.

1. CPG (Waste Solutions) is a New Zealand based world leading technology provider specialising in robust and cost effective solutions for turning waste into energy. With a 35 year history of researching, developing, implementing and operating innovative treatment technologies, we have been developing low cost anaerobic digesters for agricultural practices internationally. We currently have 19 operating facilities, with 8 more under construction, ranging in size from 5,000m3 - 200,000m3. These facilities are producing electricity to power the owners' factories, and sell excess electricity to the grid, as well as running with a 100% success rate.
   
   Our team includes scientists, engineers, biotechnologists, laboratory and instrumentation technicians, process engineers and project managers. We have in-depth experience of waste to energy process design and treatment plant design covering a broad range of industrial wastes, sewage treatment and biological processes.
   
   Our expertise extends into the development of many types of biogas production facilities, including traditional tank based systems as well as world leading in-ground solutions which maximise the energy potential of waste streams and provide investors with very attractive return on investment. Contact Bernice Chapman for further details.
   
   
2. Entec Services Limited – details about Entec's biogas activities can be found on the Entec Web-site here. Entec Services was established in 1982 to act as the Waukesha Engine distributor within New Zealand. Since that time Entec has focused its operations on the supply and support of gas engine drivers and associated driven equipment.

Working in close partnership, Entec and Waukesha Engine have established Waukesha as the stand-out market leader for industrial gas engines within New Zealand, dominating the market in the gas compression, power generation, and cogeneration sectors.

Entec takes pride in its ability to provide tailored system solutions, backed with exceptional customer service, to its varied customer base. Contact Bob Weston for further details.

3. Flotech Limited - Flotech company Greenlane Biogas has been the world leader in biogas upgrading technology since its inception in the early 1990's. Biogas upgrading was initially driven by desires for an eco-friendly, sustainable and economically viable vehicle fuel; market demand is now shifting to much larger capacity units that inject upgraded biogas into existing gas pipeline networks. This is a very exciting business for Flotech, as demand for renewable fuels increases rapidly.  Green lane biogas key biogas projects are listed here. Contact Sean Molloy for further details.
   
   
4. Natural Systems Ltd – Ian Bywater of Natural Systems won an international award for his scheme to build an energy efficient dairying system. Since then he has achieved a New Zealand patent for BioGenCool and established a pilot plant on a Landcorp Farming Ltd dairy property in North Canterbury. The BioGenCool process extracts the biogas (methane gas and carbon dioxide) from cow effluent using novel biodigester technology. After production it is then cleaned and used as fuel in a co-generation plant to generate electricity. Details about Natural Systems' biogas activities can be found here with an IPENZ article/case study on the company's biogas activities here. Contact Ian Bywater for further details..
   

1. AECOM – Energy and Engineering advisory services
2. Beca – Consultancy in wastewater and power generation.
3. Clarke Group - The Clarke Group combines Clarke Energy and Clarke Telecom. Clarke Energy is the market leader in the field of decentralised power generation, combined heat and power, green energy and waste treatment solutions.
4. CPG (Waste Solutions) – Leader in providing wastewater and innovative biotechnology solutions for producing energy and value added products from waste.
5. East Harbour Energy - Commercial and Strategic evaluation of biogas opportunities.
6. MWH – leading international consultancy with water, renewable energy and sustainability and infrastructure skills.
7. Waste Solutions Ltd – Consultancy in wastewater and innovative biotechnology solutions for producing energy and value added products from waste

1. Todd Energy – Todd Energy is a 100% Kiwi-owned and operated energy company and one of the leading New Zealand energy producers. Todd Energy offer a total energy solution to meet the diverse energy requirements of our industrial, commercial and residential customers. Todd are operators of the Southern Landfill Electricity Generation Plant in Wellington (Generator rated capacity : 1,065 kW; Generation volumes: 8 GWh of electricity annually - enough to meet the demands of around 1000 average households).

   Further details here.

2. Mighty River Power – Mighty River Power is an integrated energy generation, trading, retailing and metering business. With a preference for renewable energy, MRP owns and/or manages a diverse and expanding portfolio of generation assets throughout the North Island including hydro schemes, geothermal plants, the Southdown co-generation station, bioenergy production and an active wind development programme. MRP operate four landfill gas generation sites in New Zealand – Greenmount and Rosedale (combined capacity = 8.2 MW and operational from 1992), Tirohia (2 MW and operational since 2008) and Silverstream (2 MW and operational since 1992).
   More general details here and here.
   In 1991 Entec Services Limited were selected by the Auckland Electric Power Board as the main contractor for their Landfill Gas Power Projects at the Rosedale and Greenmount sites in Auckland, and the Silverstream landfill in Upper Hutt. The AEPB later became Mercury Energy, which in turn became Mighty River Power.

3. The Rosedale and Greenmount stations are owned by a joint venture between Mighty River Power and Envirowaste Services. The Silverstream station is owned by a joint venture between Mighty River Power, Natural Gas Corporation and Hutt City Council.

   Further details on all plants here.

4. Others - more details to come...

Several New Zealand councils generate biogas from their sewage and waste water treatment facilities and landfill sites. Details on the activities of the following Councils are presented below:

• Hamilton City Council - sewage treatment plant
• Christchurch City Council - landfill gas and waste water treatment plants
• Dunedin City Council
• North Shore City Council - waste water treatment plant
• Palmerston North City Council - landfill gas and waste water treatment plant
• Porirua City Council - landfill gas

HAMILTON CITY COUNCIL

Pukete Road waste water treatment - cogeneration from digester gas

Hamilton is an excellent example of the use of both natural gas and bio-gas at its sewage treatment plant. This is the only New Zealand site where natural gas is blended with bio-gas and used to power generators. Initially, Entec Services installed and commissioned a Waukesha VHP2900G cogeneration package at the Council´s Pukete Road wastewater treatment plant in 1985. This unit operated on digester gas, and was rated for a continuous output of 230kWe. Engine controls and electrical switchgear were supplied by Schneider. The Waukesha engine achieved in excess of 50,000 hours before a cylinder head overhaul was required. This unit was fitted with a data logger, which showed the system availability to be in excess of 98%. The system operated for a total of some 110,000 Hours before being made redundant by the new cogeneration plant described above. Further details here. Capacity is 1 MW. The Waukesha generating units have been replaced with a 2.2MW Caterpillar unit in conjunction with upgraded digester process.

DUNEDIN CITY COUNCIL

more details to come...

CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL

Burwood Landfill Gas

Christchurch City Council has turned waste into a resource by capturing gas from the closed Burwood landfill to heat and power the QEII Park swimming pool complex. Using landfill gas at QEII Park will replace 1.5 million litres of liquid petroleum gas each year, helping to reduce the Council's reliance on fossil fuels. The project also has benefits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, because methane gas is captured instead of being released into the environment. Further details here.

Through the Projects to Reduce Emissions programme, Christchurch City Council was allocated 200,000 carbon credits by the Government for the project. The carbon credits will be transferred to Christchurch City Council in return for emission reductions from 2008 to 2012.

Bromley Waste Water Treatment – Digester Gas

The Council´s Bromley wastewater treatment plant was commissioned in January 1996. The Waukesha 8LAT27GL cogeneration unit operates on digester gas, and is rated for a continuous output of 1,550 kWe. Supplied and installed by Entec Services.

NORTH SHORE CITY COUNCIL

Rosedale Road Cogeneration from digester gas

Initially, Entec Services installed and commissioned a Waukesha VHP2900G cogeneration package at the North Shore City Council´s Rosedale Road wastewater treatment plant in 1984. This unit operates on digester gas, and is rated for a continuous output of 230kWe. Engine controls and electrical switchgear were supplied by Schneider.

The first top end overhaul was carried out at 38,000 hours and the unit operated in excess of 87,000 hours, prior to being decommissioned to make way for a new cogeneration unit. Further details about the site are available here, here and here. Total capacity is ?? operational from 1984. The site is now operating two Deutz Units supplied by Energen of Brisbane, the existing Waukesha unit was abandoned around 2005.

PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

Landfill Gas - resource recovery centre at Awapuni

Palmerston North City Councils burns methane gas from the Awapuni landfill to power the wastewater treatment plant and the remainder goes to the national grid. Carbon credits have been sold to the Austrian government and Toyota New Zealand. In all the Council's project generates around 35,000 carbon credits a year at full generating capacity.
Further details here and here. Total capacity is 1000MWe

Totara Road - waste water treatment plant

A recent upgrade at the facility means that it can digest a wider range of additional industrial waste including piggery manure, whey waste, greast trap waste, and selected food industry flotation foams. Digesting this waste produces an increqse in biogas - which means PNCC ultimately aviids natural gas purchase costs and gets the income stream from collecting the waste in the first place.

By viewing organic waste as a resource. PNCC is not only helping to divert organic material from water and landfill disposal (the upgrades will reduce sludge that goes to landfull by 60 per cent). The goal of this project is to meet the unique requirement to achieve a 400 per cent improvement of the daily biogas production capacity in the existing sludge digesters by 2012. The councils long-term goal is for biogas to replace landfill gas as it is depleted in the next 15 to 20 years. Some more details here - Going Greener with Palmerston North City Council's Biogas to Energy Project.

PORIRUA CITY COUNCIL

Spicer Landfill - landfill gas

The Spicer Landfill has been operational since 2009. It has a gas rating of 1000kW. There is no generation at this site.

Scion - more to come...

Massey - more to come...

Christchurch - more to come...

Plant and Food Research
Two research projects are funded by the Foundation for Research Science & Technology (FRST). One is the 'Biomass to Syngas to Liquid Fuels (BTSL)' project based at the University of Canterbury. While the end fuel of the main project is not biogas, Plant & Food scientists are doing the biomass research on non-woody feedstocks for gasification, which are therefore also suitable for biogas production. A 2 year screening of species will be followed by 3 years of agronomic trials on the best new crop options, followed by LCA work which will quantify the non-woody biomass supply potential.

A new FRST project (using MAF SLMACC funds) is specifically on use of biomass for biogas. Called 'Closed Loop N-Supply System' it will assess marginal land types and sustainability for biomass crops and involve crop trials with new high dry mass cultivars of maize and sorghum, sunflower, and perennials such as lucerne, red clover and topinamber (Jersusalem artichokes). By choosing anaerobic digestion for biomass to fuel conversion it enables nutrients such as nitrogen to be largely conserved when digestate is applied back to the crop land. Use of legumes also means there should be a net surplus of N in the cropping system that can be made available to food crops (reducing competition between proudction of this biofuel and food.

Biogas crop expertise is also being applied on behalf of ommercial clients.

AgResearch - more to come....

Landcare Research - more to come...

NIWA
NIWA Resources

1. Covered Anaerobic Ponds for Biogas Energy Recovery in New Zealand, presentation
2. Covered Anaerobic Ponds for Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Capture Piggeries - NIWA Information Series No. 32 2008

• KiwiFruit - Zespri
• Chicken Litter Waste - Inghams
• Piggery Waste - Pork New Zealand, PIC New Zealand, Dept of Corrections, NIWA
• Dairy Waste - Fonterra
• Wastewater - Watercare Services Ltd

Zespri - Kiwi Fruit Waste
Zespri has been looking into ways of turning kiwifruit waste into something more valuable than animal fodder. The objectives of turning the waste into biogas are:

• a reduction of post harvest costs, and
• improved market access in countries with potential concerns about the carbon footprint of kiwifruit from New Zealand.

Biogas digesters have become symbols for renewable energy on the European markets and Zespri is interested in knowing whether this technology could be introduced to New Zealand for demonstrating its commitment to innovation and the environment.

This Consultancy Report prepared by Maunsell/AECOM at the request of Zespri sets out the details – available here.

Inghams - Chicken Litter Waste - more details to come...

Piggery Waste - Pork New Zealand, PIC New Zealand, Department Corrections, NIWA
more details to come.

1. Pork New Zealand
2. PIC New Zealand
3. Department of Corrections
4. NIWA.

Dairy Waste - Fonterra - more details to come...

Wastecare Services Limited - more details to come...

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