A SUSTAINABLE energy services company and corporate cousin to WA’s freight rail network operator may become the first business to establish at the agribusiness-focused Peel Business Park, Nambeelup.
Two weeks after LandCorp released the first 12 lots – expected to realise $7.5 million – in stage one, the largest 2.4 hectare lot is under offer.
The lot has a special “micro-grid” zoning and Farm Weekly understands the offer relates to a consortium providing an innovative, renewable microgrid energy system for the business park’s first stage.
It is understood establishing a commercial base in the business park is a condition of acceptance of the microgrid design and implementation.
The consortium consists of Enwave Energy, a subsidiary of global investment conglomerate Brookfield, Sunrise Energy Group co-founded in 2016 by four-time Olympian and former Perth Wildcats basketball team captain, chief executive and owner Andrew Vlahov and WA’s biggest electricity and gas retail supplier Synergy.
Enwave specialises in integrated “district energy systems” using thermal energy plants – usually fuelled by natural gas and solar – to generate electricity.
Heat from the plants is also used to produce steam and hot or chilled water distributed to system customers for low-emission, low-cost heating, cooling and refrigeration.
It has such systems operating in Toronto and Windsor in Canada and Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Seattle in the United States.
In Australia Enwave projects include Tonsley Innovation District – the former Mitsubishi car manufacturing plant redevelopment in Adelaide – incorporating distributed power, embedded solar, natural gas and recycled water servicing commercial and residential customers.
Another is Central Park, Chippendale, Sydney, claimed as “Australia’s first district water and energy multi-utility serving 5000 residents and 15,000 workers and visitors daily” in a mix of residential, office and retail space.
It too combines thermal energy and recycled water for power, heating and cooling.
Similarly, Enwave owns and operates plants which power, heat and cool Qantas’ headquarters and domestic passenger terminal in Sydney.
Enwave, like Arc Infrastructure in WA, is owned by Brookfield Infrastructure.
Arc has exclusive lease until 2049 of WA’s 5500 kilometres of freight rail network, including 509km of Tier 3 grain lines placed into “care and maintenance” in 2014.
Australia’s largest grain exporter CBH Group is involved in an ongoing mediation process with Arc Infrastructure which began in March, 2016 and had its genesis in 2013, over a long-term access agreement for its grain trains to use the freight rail network.
Brookfield’s investments include natural gas pipelines, electricity transmission lines and coal handling facilities in the US, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Brazil and Australia.
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It operates 37 ports in North America, the UK, Australia and Europe and about 3800km of toll roads in South America and India.
It also owns 1.5 million hectares of forest timber and 263,045 hectares of grain, sugarcane and cattle grazing enterprises in North and South America.
Another 2ha lot in the initial land release is the first zoned for agri-innovation.
Nine lots ranging in size from 2438 square metres to 6013m2 are zoned for light industrial development and a 1ha lot fronting Lakes Road is zoned for commercial development.
Selling agent Phil Melville of CBRE said it was hoped a “stakeholder event”, including a bus tour of the site this week, would elicit more offers.
“The release of the first lots in stage one has produced really strong enquiry, but we’ll know more after this week,” Mr Melville said.
