Pinsent Masons advises HZI on its first Energy from Waste Plant in Australia

The East Rockingham Resource Recovery Facility Project, which will be Australia’s second ‘energy from waste’ plant (EfW), is set to go into operation by the end of 2022. Pinsent Masons is advising Swiss cleantech company Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI) as developer, part-owner, co-operator and EPC joint venture contractor of the plant, which is the company’s first EfW plant in Australia. 

The plant will process 300,000 tonnes of municipal and industrial waste a year to generate 28.9 MWe of energy into the grid. Construction is scheduled to begin at the beginning of January 2020.

The project was developed by a consortium consisting of HZI, New Energy Corporation and Tribe Infrastructure. The contract to design, build and commission the plant was awarded by the project shareholders to an EPC consortium formed by Acciona and HZI.

Commenting on the deal, energy and infrastructure partner, Anthony Arrow, said the project supports HZI’s reputation as a global leader in the energy from waste market. “We are pleased to have worked alongside HZI on their first project in Australia, which will bring enormous waste management benefits for the environment and at the same time generate electricity.”

“This work also demonstrates our team’s strength in the energy sector. Our focus continues to be on the changes and latest advancements in the industry, from both a global and local perspective, which is why we’re able to deliver practical legal advice to energy clients operating anywhere.”

HZI was supported by a Pinsent Masons cross-border team, with involvement across each of our Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Birmingham offices. The Australia team acting on the transaction included partner Anthony Arrow, partner George Varma, special counsel Catherine Bendeich, special counsel Katie Joukadjian, legal director Ed Kelly, associate Toby Evans, associate Cameron Reid, lawyer Susan Xu and graduate lawyers Jesse Chen, Lydia Holt and Nicola Macrow on project advisory and the EPC contract; partner Jeremy King and lawyer Shubho Mukherjee on project financing; partner Bill Ryan and lawyer Chris Zhang on risk advisory; and partner Brian Scott, associate Lucy Carter and lawyers Lisa Meyer and Ananya Mittra on corporate-related matters. Support from the UK team was led by partner Didar Dhillon.