Australia’s first Waste to Energy plant to be powered by Konecranes’ refuse cranes

Konecranes will provide two refuse cranes to Avertas Energy, Australia’s first energy-from-waste facility in Kwinana, Western Australia. The order was booked in July 2019, with delivery planned for June 2020.

Energy-from-waste uses post-recycling rubbish to generate clean, baseload power – the minimum amount of electric power needed for an electrical grid at any given time. The Kwinana facility will divert up to 400,000 tonnes of waste a year and generate an estimated 36 megawatts of electricity for the grid, enough to power 50,000 households. Metallic materials will be recovered and recycled, while other by-products will be reused as construction materials. Avertas Energy’s operations are expected to start by the end of 2021.

Konecranes will provide two fully automated refuse cranes and three grab buckets, with the agreement including commissioning, installation supervision and maintenance services. The cranes will operate in the refuse pit receiving, mixing, and feeding waste material to and from hoppers.

The two cranes are equipped with several Konecranes Smart Features that support safety and productivity at the production site, such as Sway Control, Shock Load Prevention and Restricted Areas. With Konecranes digital services including TRUCONNECT Remote Monitoring, crane usage and condition can be monitored in real time on the yourKONECRANES customer portal. In addition, the delivered equipment utilizes the DynaReg feature, which recycles power generated by the hoists.

Konecranes offers products and services that support circularity with long-lasting design, easy maintainability and repair with the possibility for modernization or retrofits to further extend the lifespan.

“This contract is another example of how our investments in Waste to Energy are making Konecranes the right choice for customers across the globe. The combination of our vast experience in the industry, our proven technology and excellent service support were a decisive factor here,” said Joseph Botros, Waste to Energy Industry director at Konecranes.

“We also benefited from our great service organization in the region, which was a must for the customer to ensure reliable performance for the decades to come,” Botros added.