Fulton Hogan hopes to be ready to build its sludge-drying plant near Luggate in about three or four months.
The company's Alexandra-based quarries and crushing divisional manager, Pete Reid, said yesterday it was pleased to have gained consent, however, the company still had to work through the long list of conditions imposed on the plant's operations.
He did not regard any of the conditions to be exceptionally onerous.
''They're all common sense. They're all achievable.''
Mr Reid said there was also a lot of design work to do on the aluminium and glass structure to ensure it was strong enough to withstand wind and snow loadings.
The company has previously indicated it wanted to use the dried sewage sludge on farmland. However, it has not yet applied for resource consent to do that.
Mr Reid said a decision would be made once the plant was operating. Asked if the company needed resource consent to use the dried sludge on its own land, Mr Reid said: ''That's part of what has to be sorted out through the [Otago Regional Council] - whether we do or we don't.
''That's why we are not even going down that track yet.''
The company owns 60ha of farmland at its Luggate quarry, next to the plant, and over 100ha at Parkburn, near Cromwell.
Mr Reid said in Australia it was possible to buy soil conditioner made from 100% composted sewage sludge and composted green waste.
''You can buy it by the bag, the trailer-load or the truck- and trailer-load. Who's to say what's going to happen with [the Luggate dried sludge]? We have a long way to go yet.''
Mr Reid said many utility companies and councils had been watching Fulton Hogan's progress with the sludge-drying plant, and a similar plant was already operating near Christchurch.
The company's consent application attracted 47 submissions - four in favour and 43 against. A member of the Luggate Community Association said yesterday members had not had a chance to read the 70-page decision and were not in a position to comment immediately.
