A delegate of the Board of the EPA has concluded an assessment of a proposal by Liberty Bell Bay PTY LTD for LBB Biochar Production Facility, Bell Bay in George Town.
The proposal involves the construction and operation of a pyrolysis plant to process up to 2,700 tonnes of wood chips per year into biochar. The produced biochar will be densified by the addition of binders to produce 500 tonnes of densified biochar pellets for use in an industrial trial within the furnace at the Liberty Bell Bay Manganese Smelter to investigate the technical feasibility of biochar replacing coking coal as fuel.
Public consultation was open for 16 days from 29 November 2025. No representations were made in relation to the proposal.
The Board’s delegate has considered the relevant issues and determined that the proposal can be managed in an environmentally sustainable manner, with conditions imposed. Key conditions include requirements to only process untreated wood and to undertake stack testing to validate atmospheric emissions.
The Board’s delegate undertook assessment of the proposal in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Principles in Section 74 of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994.
This decision and all assessment documents can be viewed on the EPA website here.
Published on:
28/01/2026