A large-scale bioenergy facility approved for construction at Horsley Park in Western Sydney will process up to 150,000 tonnes of organic waste each year, supplying renewable energy to one of Australia’s biggest brick manufacturers.
The $81.4 million development, to be built next to Austral Bricks’ Plant 2, will replace fossil fuel use in brick kilns with renewable gas produced through anaerobic digestion. The new facility will power brick production with biogas created from decomposing organic waste, including material collected from households, farms, and businesses across NSW.
Austral Bricks, which has operated at Horsley Park since the 1960s, is partnering with Delorean Corporation to deliver the project. The move allows the company to shift from natural gas to renewable energy as NSW increases the pace of homebuilding.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said of the project, “The Minns Labor Government is backing local businesses as they move to low-emissions production. Austral Bricks’ adoption of bioenergy demonstrates how industry can play a vital role in achieving the State’s climate goals.”
Construction is expected to create over 250 jobs, with seven ongoing roles once operations begin. The site will include six large digestion tanks, a waste reception area, wastewater treatment infrastructure, and a high-pressure pipeline to supply the gas to the kiln.
The use of anaerobic digestion means the plant will trap emissions that would otherwise be released from decomposing waste in landfill, instead turning it into usable energy. Any leftover digestate will be sent to licensed composting facilities, pending regulatory approval.
The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure assessed the proposal as a State Significant Development due to the volume of waste it will handle and its location within the Western Sydney Parklands. The site sits on previously disturbed land near the existing brickworks and has been designed to limit additional environmental disturbance.
Austral Bricks will use the renewable energy to produce bricks for homes being built across Sydney and other parts of the state. In this way, waste collected from the community will be returned in the form of durable building materials.
The approval process included public exhibition, council feedback and input from multiple government agencies. The assessment addressed concerns about traffic, air quality, noise, biodiversity, and land use compatibility. Conditions of approval have been set to manage these issues during both construction and operation.
This facility adds to a growing number of bioenergy projects being developed in Australia, particularly in NSW, where interest in diverting waste from landfill and supporting low-emission manufacturing is rising. While bioenergy is still emerging compared to wind or solar, it offers reliable supply and links waste management directly to energy generation.
In the case of Horsley Park, it also connects two state priorities: reducing landfill and increasing housing supply.
