A proposal to build a $100 million milk processing plant near
Glenavy will be considered at a two-day hearing in Waimate on
December 21 and 22.
Oceania Dairy Ltd has applied for resource consents from
Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the Waimate District
Council to build the plant on a rural-zoned 5ha site at the
corner of State Highway 1 and Cooneys Rd, about 4km north of
Glenavy.
A three-member panel - made up of Waimate district councillor
Peter McIlraith, ECan South Canterbury councillor Bronwen
Murray and independent commissioner Bob Nixon - will consider
the applications.
The company applied in September for resource consents and
both councils have decided to hold a joint hearing at the
Waimate District Council chambers to consider the
applications and hear submissions, which closed early last
month.
ECan received seven submissions - five in opposition, one in
support and one neutral.
Four submitters opposing the consents want to be heard at the
hearing.
The Waimate council received five submissions.
Oceania Milk announced plans for the plant earlier this year,
establishing an office in Waimate in August to handle
inquiries from the local community, outline its plans and its
resource consent applications.
The company's chairman of directors is former Meridian Energy
chief executive Keith Turner and its directors are former
Reserve Bank Governor and National Party leader Don Brash and
dairy industry leader Phil Lough.
Key features of the proposed plant are a 37m dryer tower;
coal-fired boiler house; a 45m high boiler exhaust stack; dry
store building for the finished product; tanker reception
area to unload milk; effluent treatment and detention system.
The company believes there is a demand for a new plant in the
central South Island because of the huge growth in dairying
over the past few years, and planned in the future.
It has already received inquiries from potential suppliers.
Running 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the dairy
season from late July to the end of May, it would handle milk
from up to 50,000 cows, both from suppliers, who can also be
shareholders, and from farms the company is looking at
establishing in the next 10 to 15 years.
The company needs four consents from ECan for the discharge
of stormwater, human, animal and dairy effluent and air
discharges.
It needs a land use consent from the Waimate council to
build, operate and maintain the plant.
If consents are granted, plant equipment would be ordered in
April next year and construction could begin in May or June
2010.
The plant would be commissioned in June and July, 2011, with
production starting in August.
Oceania plans to specialise in mid- to high-value milk powder
products.
If built, Oceania's plant would be the second established in
the Waimate area.
A new plant at Studholme, built by NZ Dairies Ltd and now
owned by Russian company Nutritek Group, started production
in September, 2007.
Summary
• What: $100 million plant processing milk from up to
50,000 cows into mid- to high-value milk powder
products.
• Who: Oceania Dairy Ltd.
• Where: Corner of SH1-Cooneys Rd, about 4km north of
Glenavy.
• Needs: Four resource consents from Environment
Canterbury and one from Waimate District Council.
• Consents hearing: Waimate District Council, December
21 and 22.
• Hearings panel: Waimate councillor Peter McIlraith,
Environment Canterbury councillor Bronwen Murray, independent
commissioner Bob Nixon.
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