The Andrews Labor Government has awarded the Hepburn Shire Council $650,000 from the New Energy Job Funds grant to begin the first stage of building their innovative waste to energy system.

In the first stage of the $2.4 million project, Hepburn Shire will divert more than 2,000 tonnes of food waste from landfill sites each year – leading to a $280,000 reduction in annual waste disposal costs.

The project will create up to ten ongoing full-time jobs in the region, following the completion of round two.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced the funding as part of the second round of the Labor Government’s $20 million New Energy Jobs Fund grants.

The second stage of the project will investigate injecting the generated methane directly into the gas network.

The Fund allows for grants of between $20,000 and $1 million to support new energy technology projects that support the uptake of renewable energy, reduce emissions, and assist community groups to develop their own projects.

More than 50 applications were received in round two of the New Energy Jobs Fund, resulting in 21 successful projects receiving a total of $6.7 million in grants.

The first stage of the project is expected to be complete by 2020.