Northern Southland College in Lumsden is on the list for a replacement heating plant, following the Government’s announcement this week that coal burners would be replaced at a further 10 schools.

The money is coming from the $200 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund, announced in 2019.

The announcement by the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw brings the total number of schools receiving money from the government to replace their coal boiler to 36, along with several universities and hospitals, after announcements in October, and September and January last year.

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Radio New Zealand reported this week that of the entire fund, $55m has been set aside to replace coal boilers for up to 90 schools, but it is estimated 200 schools across the country use a coal boiler.

Northern Southland College principal Peter Wilkinson told the Southland App on Thursday (April 15) that the funding was welcome.

He was not sure how much the new heating plant would cost and when it would happen, because the school was still waiting to hear back from the scoping process, but he estimated it could be in the “hundreds of thousands” of dollars.

“To get support from the Ministry of Education to get the transition [from coal to clean energy] it imperative. Without that support from the Ministry of Education, it would be almost impossible, financially. We couldn’t afford it,” Mr Wilkinson said.

The new heating plant would provide warmer heat, which would be a great benefit to students and staff, and would also provide the maintenance manager with a break from having to empty ash from the coal boiler every day, he said.

Mr Wilkinson he thought the school's success at getting a new heating solution might have been swayed by the fact it malfunctioned at the end of term three last year. 

The cost of getting the coal burner up and running again would have been a poor decision so a temporary diesel boiler is now sitting on the school grounds in a large shipping container, he said.

That temporary solution would continue to heat the school until the new plant was ready to go.

The Southern Institute of Technology is also on the list of education institutions to get a new heating plant.

The Government has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025 and wants industries to stop using coal-fired boilers by 2037.

The projects announced this week are expected to remove around 26,000 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next decade.