Farmers who have large numbers of alien trees on their properties can have them cleared out for free. This is not a joke, nor is it a scam.
Farmers who have large numbers of alien trees on their properties can have them cleared out for free. This is not a joke, nor is it a scam.
The offer to clear your alien trees comes from the Nollen Group, a company that is busy setting up a project to burn invasive plants with the purpose of generating electricity. The project will be set up in the existing buildings of the old power station in the industrial area.
Biomass brought in from around the area will be fed into boilers for steam generation which will in turn drive steam turbines connected to electricity generators. Electricity produced at the project will be fed directly into an existing transformer at the site and subsquently sold to the municipality or to Eskom.
A partner in the group, Charlie Cox, says the project will have many benefits for the residents of Makana Municipality.
Firstly, he expects the project to clear up to 10 000 hectares of land infested with alien trees such as eucalyptus and black wattle which will make way for indigenous trees to flourish. As the aliens consume far more water than indigenous species, by removing invasive biomass from the land, there will be more water available for indigenous speciaes and to replenish the water table.
Secondly, the project will create up to 150 new jobs and provide a training programme to educate people on the benefits of biomasss energy and local economic development. Many of the new jobs will go to the people who collect biomass from private lands.
They will use mobile chipping machines to ensure that the transport of the biomass is done cost effectively. The project is expected to generate three megawatts of reliable electricity that will provide a buffer to protect Grahamstown from any future load-shedding.
Cox also says that the project will reduce carbon emissions. If you are interested in finding out more about the project or how you can have invasive plants cleared from your land, contact Charlie Cox on 083 685 6863 or email him at charlie@nollengroup.com
