Fact Sheet
Cape Byron Power is proud to be continuing over 150 years of renewable energy generation in the Northern Rivers region. We are a large local employer, with independent analysis confirming that around 2,500 local jobs are reliant on the ongoing operations of Cape Byron Power. Helping support and grow family businesses in the local economy is at the heart of what we continue to do.
See below for some commonly asked questions and facts about Cape Byron Power.
- Bagasse – the plant fibre left over from the sugar cane harvest each year after the cane juice has been removed by the sugar mills.
- Energy Crops – such as the wood and plant fibre from purpose grown crops (e.g. plantation forestry)
- Woodwaste – waste timber from sawmill offcuts or from local weed removal that has no other economically beneficial use.
- Approved Clearance – the waste fibre left over from already approved infrastructure projects being undertaken in the local area such as new roads, dams, transmission lines and subdivisions that has no other economical beneficial use.
Cape Byron Power does not source any native timber directly from state forests or private native forest.
There are about 60 local sawmillers in the Northern Rivers region who sustainably source timber from selective logging operations in state forests and private native forests. These, predominantly family owned businesses, supply local timber to businesses and for the construction of new homes and renovation of older homes. If you’re a Northern Rivers resident, it is very likely that the timber used to build the home that you currently live in came from one of these sawmills.
Only long straight round logs are delivered to the sawmill. All other fibre from the selective native forestry harvesting operation is left in the forest by the forestry harvesting company. The round logs delivered to the sawmill are sawn into square logs and then the square logs are sawn into boards. The sawdust from the sawmills is predominantly sold to farms for animal bedding and the outer sawmill offcuts are supplied to Cape Byron Power to create renewable energy rather than being burnt or sent to landfill. Prior to Cape Byron Power using the outer offcuts for renewable energy generation, this valuable resource was regularly stockpiled and burned in open pits outside of the sawmill.
No. Cape Byron Power does not source any native timber directly from state forests or private native forest and hasn’t increased logging of native forests in any way. Not a single tree from a native forest has been removed as a result of Cape Byron Power’s operations. Sustainably harvested timber from state forests and private native forestry operations occur as a result of demand for timber supplied to businesses and for the construction of new homes and renovation of older homes. The decision whether to selectively harvest a native forests is not at all linked to whether Cape Byron Power beneficially uses the waste timber from the sawmills to create renewable energy.
No. Cape Byron Power has never sourced biomass from any National Park. For many years now, designated National Parks have been protected from any form of forestry operation.
Cape Byron Power is a 100% federally accredited renewable energy generator that is helping Australia meet our global United Nations’ obligations under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Accord. The United Nations would not allow sources of electricity to be determined as renewable energy if it caused climate change.
This is simply not correct. Coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that was previously stored under the surface of the earth increasing the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This is a well-known fact which is why there is growing opposition to coal fired power generation. Cape Byron Power is a 100% federally accredited renewable energy generator that is helping Australia meet its global United Nations’ obligations under the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Accord. The United Nations would not allow sources of electricity to be determined as renewable energy if it caused climate change.
What is Cape Byron Power’s response to activists’ screening locally of the movie “Burned-the Movie”?
Cape Byron Power does not source any native timber directly from state forests or private native forest and hasn’t increased logging of native forests in any way. Not a single tree from a native forest has been removed as a result of Cape Byron Power’s operations. The movie documents that in some overseas countries, native forests are being harvested for use as biomass. A small group of activists have recently screened this movie locally and incorrectly inferred that Cape Byron Power was operating the same way without checking the facts first. The linkage made by these activists between the movie and Cape Byron Power is simply not accurate and has been damaging to Cape Byron Power and the roughly 2,500 local jobs that rely on our ongoing operations.
Cape Byron Management recognises its responsibilities in environmental stewardship as a renewable power station owner and operator and is committed to being an innovative leader in the management of the environmental impacts from its business operations. Over the past 5 years since we have taken over the management of the power stations, we have increased production which has displaced a significant reduced the amount of electricity the local power grid has needed to import from outside of the Northern Rivers from more carbon intensive supply sources such as coal. Our power stations have continued to be an important part of the local community for over 150 years and around 2,500 local jobs are reliant upon their ongoing operation. We continue to be committed to managing, monitoring and reducing where practicable, the environmental impacts of our business operations through continual improvement.
Cape Byron Power is an integral part of the regional economy in the Northern Rivers and without it, the cane growing industry would no longer be viable in the local area. Independent analysis confirms that around 2,500 local jobs rely on the ongoing operations of Cape Byron Power.
Cape Byron Power is an Australian company whose ultimate owners are many thousands of pensioners and working people (saving for their retirement) alike that live predominantly in the UK and Australia.
The power stations use water to clean the emissions from combustion prior to leaving the chimney stack. What you mostly see coming out of the stack as a white cloud is predominantly steam vapour and not smoke.
New South Wales has some of the most stringent air quality emission limits in Australia and the world and both power stations fully comply with these requirements.