A petition signed by 3,264 locals opposing the proposed waste incinerator in Bulla has been tabled in Parliament by Western Metropolitan Region MP David Ettershank. It means the issue will be debated in the House next year.
Speaking in Parliament Tuesday 2 December Mr Etteshank asked that the Legislative Council call on the Minister for Planning – Sonya Kilkenny – to immediately halt any approval or progress towards building a waste incinerator in Sunbury, “…until the Economy and Infrastructure Committee’s inquiry into the development and expansion of Waste to Energy infrastructure is complete”.
“I give notice that I intend to move that the petition be taken into consideration on Wednesday next sitting week.” The next sitting week starts Tuesday 3 February.
The Economy and Infrastructure Committee’s inquiry is not expected to be completed until late 2026. However, HiQ, the firm hoping to build the plant in Sunbury Rd, Bulla, is expecting to hear the outcome of its application by mid 2026.
Sunbury MP Josh Bull has previously stated that he will not support any planning or environmental approval for the proposed waste-to-energy plant in Bulla “in its current form”.
Read Sunbury Life‘s extensive coverage on this issue here.
HiQ’s indicative timeline for its proposed Bulla WtE plant
Mid 2025
- Approval granted by Recycling Victoria for a Waste-to-Energy Cap licence
- Community engagement and feedback opportunities
Mid to late 2025
- Environmental and planning applications submitted to EPA Victoria and the Department of Transport and Planning
- Ongoing community and stakeholder engagement
Late 2025 to early 2026
- EPA Victoria public exhibition of proposed Waste-to-Energy facility, including release of technical assessments
- Community engagement and feedback opportunities
Early to mid 2026
- Application outcomes
2026 to 2029 (if approved)
- Detailed facility design and construction
Mid to late 2030 (if approved)
- Commissioning and commence operations
Quick facts:
- Waste-to-energy plant would be built by Hitachi Zozen Inova
- Construction at Sunbury Rd, Bulla would create 600 jobs
- Day-to-day 24/7 operation would create 50 to 80 jobs
- Emissions stack would be 60m tall
- Power plant will require 180,000 litres of water a day
- Electricity output would be 29,000kwh*
- There would be up to 800 truck movements in and out off the plant each day
- It would have the capacity to burn up to 750,000 tonnes of rubbish a year
*Ed says: Using the average daily usage of 13.65 kWh for a Melbourne household, 29,000 kWh could power approximately 53 households for a month.