Oceania Dairy Group acting chief executive Paul Park (left)
and chairman Keith Turner check some of the information on
a new $100 million milk plant, which will be available from
the information office opened in Waimate yesterday. Photo
by David Bruce.
A site has been identified for a new $100 million milk
plant near Glenavy, which the Oceania Dairy Group hopes to have
operating for the start of the 2011-12 season.
Details of the project are now available from an information
office opened by the company in Waimate yesterday, which also
has preliminary concept plans for the layout of the plant and
what it could look like.
The company wants to build it on land on the south side of
Cooney Rd, just off State Highway 1, about 4km north of
Glenavy.
It plans to apply to the Waimate District Council for land
use consents and Environment Canterbury (ECan) for discharge
consents in the middle of next month.
Oceania Dairy chairman Keith Turner said yesterday, at the
opening of the information office, the company hoped to have
a decision on its consents by the end of the year.
Allowing time for any appeals to the Environment Court, Dr
Turner hoped the company would be clear to complete financing
and call tenders to build the plant by the end of March, with
construction starting in June.
That would be followed by testing and commissioning the plant
by spring, 2011.
Dr Turner said some of the design, landscaping and
architectural details of the plant still needed to be
finalised, but the concept plans available at the office gave
a good indication of what it could look like.
The project is being managed by Apollo Projects through the
resource consent phase.
Project manager Patrick Edwards and Oceania Dairy's acting
chief executive, Paul Park, would be available at the
information office on Fridays to answer questions.
The office would also open on other days, but these still had
to be decided.
Information on the project would be provided and the public
could offer their views, which would help in finalising
resource consent applications.
If the project gets consents, the office could also be the
base for job inquiries from prospective employees.
The new plant will be able to handle milk production from up
to 50,000 cows.
Mr Park said there had been good support and strong interest
from potential suppliers in the Waimate area and as far south
as Kakanui.
"Suppliers are looking forward to seeing what we can offer as
an alternative," he said.
Eventually, Oceania could also own dairy farms in the area to
supply the plant, although Dr Turner said that was in the "10
to 15-year plan".
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